Number One Fan
by Star Melody
Summary: I'm not just a fan. I'm your soul mate. The one for you. You may not know it now, but you'll eventually realize it's true. I know everything about you. Your past, your likes and dislikes, even your future with me. I'm your number one fan and more. R
1. The Letter

**Chapter One – The Letter**

**Disclaimer – I do not own Teen Titans.**

_October 1st_

Raven let out a low sigh in front of one of the large living room windows. She had recently become fond of gazing at the scenic view that the window gave, especially when she needed to think or relax without the desire to meditate. The window portrayed a breathtaking view of the sea; it was an especially beautiful view at this time of day. The sun was hitting the water at just the right angle, making it shimmer and sparkle. It was a magical sight to behold. The corners of her mouth titled upward just a little bit; a small smile.

It was only a half a second later that the alarm sounded and her smile faded. She gave a low inaudible sigh. The other titans who had previously been elsewhere in the tower gathered in the room. The monitor showed the crime they were going to stop: one of their regular foes: Control Freak. Raven mentally frowned; she hated fighting this couch potato villain. He was not only gross in appearance but, battles with him often were annoying and a quick waste of time. They had even entered the world of television because of him at one time, and it was not an experience she wanted to relive.

"Titans, let's get over there fast!" Robin yelled. And so they dashed off.

The screen had shown Control Freak threatening the mall's electronics store staff and its shoppers with his infamous remote, a new one obviously since Robin had the old one locked away. Someone had probably insulted his tastes in movies or something equally frivolous. Raven levitated over to the scene with the others. Cyborg took the T-car, Robin the R-cycle, while Starfire and Beast Boy flew by her side.

Robin and Cyborg practically drove into the mall, narrowly missing a few pedestrians as they screeched to a halt just outside the main entrance. The crime fighting teens ran inside, Robin leading them exactly towards the site of their nemesis. There he was, in all of his lame couch potato ugliness. He waved around his remote and lectured to the fearful shoppers on how the movie "The Lion King" Was just a crappy copy of some Japanese anime called "Kimba the White Lion". Adding how Disney was evil and they should all be watching something like Cartoon Network instead.

"Titans Go!" Robin called to his team. They dispersed.

Raven levitated the unsuspecting villains remote out of his hand, only to have him pull out an extra(of course a couch potato would have one) out of his belt. Starfire hit him with her Star Bolts, to which he flinched, but then sent the stores mp3 players after her, flying in her way and taking the hits along with overcrowding her. Robin tried punching him but, his huge gut seemed to absorb most of the blows, while he sent the cell phones after Cyborg and Beast Boy. Raven did what she had done many times they had fought this nerd. She made the water pipes burst and the fire sprinklers go off. This stopped all electronics who were quickly fried, ruined both remotes and left the big fat couch potato wet and surprised, which to Raven made her think even less of him. Why hadn't he anticipated the water? That had to be about the fifth time she had done it, and it was getting old. Muttering to herself she walked out of the store leaving Robin and Cyborg to tie him up. Beast Boy began to follow her with Starfire at his side. Robin spoke with the police and they made their exit, fans all applauding around them.

"Man! That was easy!" Beast Boy cheered.

"Yes it was most glorious!" Starfire agreed.

"Yeah, good job Raven," Robin smiled, although his compliment was dismissed with a mere grunt from its object.

"Hey guys, I'll meet you back at the tower. Now's a good a time as any to collect the fan mail from the P.O. Box," Cyborg informed them.

"Alright, drive safely," Robin nodded.

"Sure thing couldn't get a scratch on my baby," Cyborg replied, taking care to run the hood of his car in a loving way.

"Can we just go home now?" Raven asked impatiently.

"Yeah, we'll go," Robin agreed. The team dispersed and as Raven levitated away, farther into the air she glanced down, a moving shadow catching the corner of her eye. She turned to see what it was but, nothing was there. And so she dismissed it as just been a trick of the eye.

Back at the tower the titans sat on the couch awaiting Cyborg's return. Starfire and Beast Boy talked animatedly about the snowball fight they'd have if the grey clouds in the sky remained and blessed them with snow, despite the fact that it was October and likely not going to happen. Still they were optimistic. Robin was thinking silently about something, more than likely some villain he wanted to capture next. Raven had a book in her lap and her eyes scanned the pages quickly, absorbing the story.

Cyborg burst into the tower after what seemed like a relatively short period of time, armed with a huge bag of mail. He almost looked like Santa Claus.

"Booya! Look at all this fan mail!" he grinned "Most of its probably for me," he added with a bigger smile.

"You mean me, right?" Beast Boy responded.

"No grass stain, I meant me!" Cyborg yelled.

"Let's just get it sorted," Robin chimed in, trying to prevent them from restarting the same fight that happened every time they got the mail. It was always about who was the most popular. They were almost even though so the fighting was pointless. Robin took the bag and began to sort it in five piles. Starfire had the biggest pile, Robin second, Beast Boy and Cyborg were equal for third and then there was Raven. Her pile was much smaller than the other members of her teams. But she didn't mind, because while they spent hours answering their hundreds of letters she relished in the fact that she had to only respond to fifty sometimes, at other times less than ten. Today she had only one. It was in a black envelope, her name was written on it with their fan mail address in bright red ink. She smiled inwardly, this was somewhat her taste. Most of her fans tried to use some kind of dark stationary or font hoping to get noticed, but this was probably the nicest attempted she'd seen in a while. Black envelopes were common, but the hand writing was beautiful. She looked at the envelopes front a little more carefully. It featured a little red raven on it flying near the address; she also noted there was no return address. Curiously she opened the letter. In fine clean script and ink that was almost the color of fresh blood the hand written message lay, waiting to be read.

_My Dearest Raven,_

_How I await the look on your face when you receive this letter, which I dare to say is the beginning of our long and wonderful life together. But perhaps I am getting a bit ahead of myself. You do not even know my name yet. How terribly rude of me._

_My name is Norf. I cannot really tell you much more than that about myself at present. Mostly because I fear you will try and find me before the time is right. We aren't quite fated to meet yet. There are some precautions and steps that I must take first to ensure our happiness together. Don't worry. I'll take care of everything._

_I can tell you at least of my affection for you though. I remember the first time I saw you. I had been walking home. It was a late afternoon. You were in the park with the other Titans. Fighting another villain, tyrant of society. The sun was hitting your face at such a favorable angle. I've tried, but I cannot put your beauty in words. At first sight of you I stopped dead in my tracks. I did not move even thirty minutes after the villain had been captured and you were gone. From then on, I knew the reason I had been placed on this earth, was to be with you._

_Love,_

_Norf_

She could scarcely hide her surprise by the letter. She didn't know what to make of it. She had to re-read it twice before deciding it was a strange joke. And not a very funny one. Sighing to herself she threw the letter away. She wasn't going to keep the stupid thing.

Dismissing herself from the rest of the team, she left to go read. Although she found that task a bit troublesome. Her thoughts kept sweeping back towards the letter. Who had written such a thing? And what had they meant by it? Was it all a joke for laughs? Yes that had to be it. She would have even pinned the thing on Beast Boy had she even believed him capable of writing so neatly.


	2. The Lavender Letter

**Chapter Two – The Lavender Letter**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Teen Titans.

_October 2nd_

"Are you two ready yet?" Beast Boy called from the main room down the hall.

"Just a minuet!" Raven yelled back to the boy. The dark girl was in the middle of pulling on a lavender sweater when he had called to her. She cursed. It was hard enough to get the stupid thing on without his yelling for her to rush. After pulling it down over the upper part of her jeans she quickly ran a brush through her short hair and scurried to the main room where the male titans waited quite impatiently. Starfire joined them quickly after, easing the male titan's nerves.

They were all, to some extent excited for a day out in Jump City, more specifically the mall. Not to fight crime or track down criminals but, for once to enjoy themselves. Even Raven could share some joy in this occasion. Lately the city had been overrun with villains due to last month's recent jail break, when Johnny Rancid decided he would shorten his own sentence along with his new companions. It had taken them quite a bit of time to recapture every criminal. They would have celebrated the previous night if not for Control Freaks interruption. The previous morning they had caught their last villain easily enough, mumbo jumbo was running out of tricks to fool the titans.

So now they where off, to finally reap the rewards of their hard and seemingly endless work. They walked in a cheerful air to the T-car and all got in. Robin took the front, next to Cyborg who was driving. Beast Boy snagged himself a window seat, Starfire took the other, leaving Raven to sit in the middle. The ride was loudly animated with chatter. Beast Boy and Cyborg excited anticipated the arcade they were off to visit, while Robin and Starfire had decided to make a trip to the music store. Raven was patiently waiting to get to the bookstore. She was in need of something new to keep her attention.

Cyborg had parked the car for almost a whole second before all its inhabitants were out of the vehicle. The group split up quickly at the mall's entrance. The two male companions went in one direction, Starfire and Robin in another, leaving Raven to her own devices. Not that she minded it. She took her time walking over to the bookstore. She was in no hurry. As long as no crime interrupted them, she knew her friends would be occupied for some time. They were all in the need of a little retail therapy.

The fine scent of paper, old or new was always a pleasure to her nose. It was one of the best things about being in a store that was from floor to ceiling in books. The sorceress found herself wandering in various sections of the store, picking up this book or that, reading several summaries. She had been so enchanted by the books that she nearly jumped with surprise when her communicator beeped from inside her pocket. Pulling it out she saw the face of her team's leader.

"What is it?" she asked in her usual monotone voice.

"We're about ready to grab some pizza, but if you're not finished yet we can wait." The titan's leader explained. She noted the angry cries of Beast Boy in the background, who was whining about his hunger pains. It would be best to go before the green titan had a cow…or became one.

"I'll meet you at the food court." she replied. Raven quickly placed the communicator in her pocket and walked over to the cashier, three books in her arms. The cashier smiled at the Titan and thanked her for her business as she placed the books in a bag. The total came up to thirty-three dollars. Raven nodded gratefully to the cashier and walked a bit more briskly than her original pace towards the food court.

Just as Raven arrived the pizza came. It was half cheese-less and covered in vegetables, the other half full of unrecognizable forms of meat. Neither of the sides looked very desirable but she found herself taking the vegetable pizza and just picking off a few toppings that she didn't care for. She too was hungry.

"The day has been most pleasing!" Starfire commented cheerfully.

"Yeah, I totally kicked Cyborg's butt at DDR!" Beast Boy grinned.

"Only because you changed into an octopus and pushed all the buttons! You little cheat!" Cyborg argued.

"So! Fair is fair. Don't be jealous dude." Beast Boy replied, sticking his tongue out. Cyborg was probably two seconds from starting a fist fight right then and there. Robin noted this and quickly changed the subject.

"What'd you do today?" he directed at Raven who self-consciously clutched her bag.

"The usual. Bookstore." She replied.

"What did you buy?" Starfire inquired with a bright smile.

"Nothing in particular, just a few horror novels." She said looking away slightly. It was true that she had bought books, two of which where on the horror side but, one of which was a romantic classic. She wondered silently what her friends would think if they saw her reading it. They only knew her to read darker fiction…would they be surprised that she occasionally liked to read girly things? She wasn't sure she wanted an answer, and so it was for the privacy of her own room to be read. They made no further inquires as to what she had done and everyone finished their food before the group left.

That night Raven scarcely left her room, save for a cup of tea and a slight bit of food. She was so entranced by her new books, she wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep.

_October 3rd_

The moment she stepped out of her room she regretted it. The loud arguing of two specific male titans was to be heard all the way down the hall. Bravely, she ventured towards the source of the noise only to discover that Cyborg had once again picked up the mail. This was odd since he usually did this on a weekly basis. On the floor lay two empty boxes next to five piles. The once incoherent words now became clear. They were arguing over whose pile was bigger.

"Mine is so bigger than yours!" Beast Boy growled.

"That little pile? Maybe on another planet!" Cyborg roared.

"Guys!" Robin yelled over them.

"WHAT!" they both yelled at him.

"Stop fighting! Or dish duty for both of you this week!" Robin ordered. They both muttered their anger towards him and silently went back to reading their fan mail, though they continued to mutter insults as if Robin couldn't hear them. Robin didn't intervene, he just sighed, as long as they weren't breaking anything or bothering the rest of the team he wouldn't punish them.

Raven's pile was easily identified from the doorway. There were about ten letters today. She picked them all up and moved to the sofa where she sat to read them quietly to herself. Among them was another lovely envelope that reminded her of the last letter she had received. This envelope was lavender. There was also no return address and the letter's address was also faintly familiar. She grimaced. Debating with herself for a moment if she should even open the letter. Letting a low sigh she ripped the envelope.

_My Dearest Raven,_

_I could not resist in writing again so soon. I hope the change in stationary is to your fancy. At first I was not sure that the color would be of your particular taste since your usual inclination for darker colors however, yesterday made me realize I was wrong to assume such things. Can you forgive me for making such a mistake?_

_The lavender sweater was a wonderful choice. I cannot imagine how you obtained it without my notice! It looked most befitting on you, adding to your delicate features. I can only hope to be blessed again with the sight of you wearing it another time soon._

_For now, I simply wished to convey my feelings for you again. I am surprised I have lasted this long without contacting you or making you aware of them! How could I have lived without you knowing of my love for you? And now I see that you must share my feelings for, like many of the things you so enjoy, you kept my note hidden and away from the others notice. They would not understand our feelings anyway, my dear. They know not of this passion that keeps us bound even though for the moment we must be apart._

_I shall have to end this here for now but, I shall write again soon as now you will await my next letter._

_Yours forever,_

_Norf_

The more she read the sicker she felt. Who was this guy? How had he known what she had been wearing yesterday? Had it been by chance that he had also been at the mall? She hoped so…she even went so far as to force herself to believe so. How else could he have known? Yes. That had to be it. Jump city was big but, not as big as other cities like Gotham. The mall was also a popular place for people to hang out, many people in fact went there daily. So yes, it was completely rational to believe that this guy had simply seen her at the bookstore and felt the odd need to pay her compliments. That had to be it, surely…

Despite the facts she told herself, she still felt a slight wave of nausea and panic. She did not even open the other letters; she simply threw them all away on her way out of the room and returned to her own in silence. She flopped on her bed, closing her eyes for a moment.

'_It's just a coincidence'_ she repeated to herself again, trying to give herself some comfort. The small amount of comfort she had gained went out the window when another thought came to her mind. _'How did he know I didn't tell the others about the previous letter?'_ her eyes shot open with slight terror.


	3. Reactions

**Chapter Three – Reaction**

**Disclaimer - **I do not own Teen Titans.

_October 4th _

Weary and tired, the titans all fell to the floor once erupting through the titan's door. They had just finished helping the police end an armed robbery of the jump city bank. It had taken them four hours to get all the hostages out and another hour to capture the criminals without anyone getting hurt. They got the job done but, now the teens were exhausted. It was nearly five o' clock in the afternoon. Despite the fatigue they still managed to be hungry.

"Who's up for Pizza? We could go to our favorite place?" Robin suggested.

"Dude, do we really have to go back out?" Beast Boy complained.

"I gotta agree with the green man. I'm pooped." Cyborg input.

"Chinese?" Robin suggested.

"Sounds like a plan." Cyborg nodded. Robin grabbed the menu off the kitchen counter, under a pile of other take out venues. All the titan's favorites were already circled. There would be no fighting over this meal, not that the team had the energy for it.

Cyborg took control of the remote and the others gathered around on the sofa as Robin made the call. After channel flicking for what seemed like a great deal of time, they all managed to agree on a movie that was playing on TV and had just started. It was an action film which kept majority of the group excited. Raven wouldn't normally find watching this type of film pleasant but, at the moment she was simply happy that they had chosen something without having to argue about it first. She was probably the most fatigued member of the team that day, and with reasonable reason. Thoughts of the letter had kept her awake most of the night. She still couldn't think of a reasonable explanation for how he had known she hadn't said anything to the rest of the team. Was it simply because there was no change in their behavior? Had he suspected that after receiving knowledge of his creepy letters that it would change? That didn't seem convincing enough, but what other reason could there be? She could think of none, unless he had been able to watch her somehow. But that didn't seem plausible either. Cyborg knew every inch of the tower and its security systems, so there wasn't any likelihood that anyone could intrude. Especially recently, since he had just installed a few new features, making it twice as hard at least to even attempt such a feat. She did not dare tell anyone of the letters she had received. They didn't need to know about it, it wasn't their concern. Besides, it was embarrassing. And she didn't even have the letters anymore. They were gone with the garbage, thankfully.

When the Chinese food came the titans all ate heartily. They were famished after being forced to skip lunch. Once she had eaten, Raven quietly dismissed herself from the rest of the group. It was only six but, she was exhausted. She needed to sleep, badly.

_October 7th 3:00 a.m._

The alarm sounded loudly throughout the tower. Groaning, as she had just finally fallen asleep Raven reluctantly sprang from her bed, and dressed as quickly as she possibly could. Despite the emergency she wasn't about to run out there in her pajama's, she knew that the team would probably disperse right away to the scene of the crime, so she had to be prepared.

The moment she left her room Beast Boy darted past her in dog form, he turned his head back to bark at her once, as if to say hurry up. The rest of the team was already waiting in the main room. Raven was surprised to see nothing on the screen.

"What is it?" Starfire asked.

"The police want help with a high speed chase. There was a kidnapping. The chase has caused two car accidents already." Robin said. "Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy go after them, stop the car if you can and get the hostage to safety. Cyborg will go meet up with the police at the road blocks for backup and I'll follow as far as I can on the R-cycle." Robin explained, showing them the coordinates on their communicators. The team nodded before his infamous battle cry was called out and the team dispersed.

The car was easy to spot from the air, it was running through every light ignoring the color completely and speeding. Several other drivers stopped in the middle of the road in confusion. Beast Boy flew low near the car, attempting not to become a bug on the wind shield, but finding the task too difficult.

"Azarath, Metrione, Zynthos" Raven used her powers to gently lift the car a few inches from the ground. She had a bit of trouble keeping it steady but, she managed, much to the driver's dismay. Starfire did her best to apprehend the women in the passenger seat while Beast Boy grabbed the man in the driver's seat in octopus form and made him drop his gun. Robin was there pretty quickly, the traffic had slowed him down a bit but, he reached the scene easily enough. Starfire comforted the women, who seemed very scared. Robin proceeded to alert the police of their location and tie up the villain. The police soon arrived along with an ambulance for the women, who seemed unharmed other than being terrified. The team then went directly home. Raven was the first one there. She did not even wait for the others to return before retreating back to her bed. She was tired. She still hadn't been sleeping well, despite the fact that it had been three days since she received the letter, it never ceased to trouble her. Cyborg had not stopped to get the mail recently but she knew that the following morning he would. He always checked every seven days, although there were other times he checked between these. The seven day rule was never neglected and Raven was fearful that within that pile of mail she may find another strange letter. She didn't want to even look but, curiosity and fear prevented her from ignoring her mail altogether. She was a slave to her mind at the moment; it would not rest until she got to the bottom of this. The letter had bothered her very much, which is why it weighed so heavily on her mind. Despite her anxiety, somehow fatigue overpowered her minds will and she managed to sleep.

_Several hours later_

She nearly pushed her alarm off the little table that sat next to her bed when it went off. She was not ready to awaken, sleep beckoned. After what _felt_ like five minutes, she finally rose out of bed, showered quickly and dressed. Upon leaving her room, she noticed none of the other titans where in sight which was odd. They'd had a training session schedule around ten. Perhaps they had over slept? She glanced at a clock in the corner and frowned. _She_ was the one who had over slept. It was already twelve! She hurried over to the gym, the other titans were there all training. Her entrance was noticed immediately. Beast Boy grinned. One look from Robin told him to stop before he started with his jokes or commentary.

"You guys can go, we're done for today." Robin announced.

"Sweet!" Beast Boy rejoiced, immediately challenging Cyborg to a video game. Starfire gave her friend a concerned smile before leaving quietly. It was obvious from his expression that he wanted to talk to the dark girl. She closed the door behind her once they left.

"Why weren't you here?" Robin asked.

"…I overslept." She answered honestly.

"That's not like you." The boy wonder commented, growing concerned.

"It happens to the best of us." She retorted, aiming at his suspicion.

"I'm surprised you didn't wake up, I had Beast Boy go knock on your door." Robin mused. She shrugged. She had no answer for the remark, though she herself was a bit surprised. Had he really done it?

"Since you missed the training session you might as well spare with me for a while." Robin said. She nodded, she had been expecting something along similar lines once he allowed the other three to leave. It would be more rigorous than the other session, which was partially punishment.

He attacked first with his fist, aiming for her right shoulder; she moved easily out of the way and proceeded to attempt to attack him and defend herself. This went on for a while, Robin obviously claiming victory over the small girl. He had more experience in that particular area of combat. After an hour they stopped.

"We're done for today." Robin concluded. She nodded and exited, he followed close behind. Both of them retreating to the privacy of their own rooms. Raven showered for the second time that day and dressed again before deciding to venture to see what the other titans were up to.

She had only been in the living room for a second before regretting her decision to leave her room. Starfire, Beast Boy and Cyborg were sitting with their fan mail. She could see her pile over there. About fifteen letters this time, judging by the size of it. Starfire glanced over and gave her a beautiful smile. Raven nodded in her direction and walked over to the pile. The letters on top revealed no traces of the finer stationary her "fan" had used. Her joy was disappointed quickly when she came across a black envelope with no return address and lavender ink in the script she was becoming familiar with. She froze for a few moments starring at it. Unsure if she should open it. Moving to a farther corner in the room she dropped her other letters and slowly opened the source of her insomnia. Within held purple stationary and the letter, written in black ink.

_My Dearest Raven,_

_I feel as though it has been ages since I last wrote to you, when in reality it has only been a few days. Surely the wait has also been hard on you also. I do not mean to cause you any pain. Of that I can assure you. If only you could convince your friend to get my letters to you more often, then neither of us would have to wait long for this most pleasurable experience. But, I do not wish for you to trouble yourself._

_I saw how you handled the bank robbery the other day. It was brilliant indeed! The news hardly covered the better parts of it! I'm so proud to say that you're my soul mate. Can anyone be happier than we shall be once united? Can anyone else boast about having the most amazing women in the world? I think not. Surely you must know that there is no other in the world than you who deserve to be given the title of these feats. I must stop here for now my love but, you will be hearing again from me soon._

_Love,_

_Norf_

Ravenn cringed. She hardly noticed Cyborg approach her.

"Hey Rae, BB and I are going to catch a movie. Wanna come?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah! We're ganna go see 'The Skull' it's a horror flick! Totally your thing but, if you get scared I'll let you hold my hand." Beast Boy grinned. She forgot about the letter for a moment after hearing his comment.

"You're the one who's going to be scared." She smirked, ready for a distraction.

"Alright! We'll leave in a couple of minutes." Cyborg smiled cheerfully. Raven went back to her room, tossing all her letters in the trash on the way and changed quickly from her uniform into a black sweat-shirt that was obviously too big on her small frame and a dark pair of jeans. After waiting for the green titan to change the three set off on their day's adventure.


	4. Red Ink

**Chapter Four – Red Ink**

**Disclaimer -** I still don't own Teen Titans.

_October 7th_

The ride the theater had been pleasant enough, especially considering the girl's company. Despite the enormous amount of affection she held for her friends, that didn't stop their playful banter from irritating her on most occasions. Beast Boy however, despite his excitement appeared to be on his best behavior and Cyborg was too focused on driving to provoke him.

Attempting to distract herself from her current problems, she resolved a conversation.

"So what exactly is this movie about?" she asked curiously from the back seat. Beast Boy grinned eagerly and turned his body slightly to face the girl as best he could from the front seat.

"This guy goes psycho and kills his girlfriend, then buries her body in the backyard. And then he marries this other girl and gets angry and tries to kill her but, she makes it out and tries to divorce him. She moves and goes into witness protection, but he keeps trying to find her and threatens her with scary letters and stuff like that. And then, the police find the body in his backyard and some other stuff happens. It's ganna be awesome." Beast Boy grinned as Cyborg used his right hand to pushed Beast Boy back in the correct position.

"Sit Back." He ordered.

"Sounds wonderful." Raven replied, knowing he wouldn't catch her sarcasm.

The drive to the theater wasn't long. It took the titans only about fifteen minutes. Once they arrived Cyborg parked the car and they all got out. Beast Boy chatted animatedly during the short walk to the ticket booth where Cyborg purchased the three tickets. Once inside she declined all offers of popcorn, candy or soda. Beast Boy however had a bowl of popcorn the size of his head, as did Cyborg. She had no doubt that the two boys would be able to finish eating them either. They were in theater twelve. It was the last one, at the end of the hall to their right. They sat in the back row, so they wouldn't have to look up at the screen.

They had arrived at the end of the previews. Just in time to catch the movie. The beginning started out as most horror movies do, displaying a wonderfully stupid heroine who gets herself in some crazy situation. It only took an hour for five characters to die in a few unmentionable ways. Beast Boy flinched at the sight of blood, covering his eyes. The scenes didn't exactly give Raven any warm and fuzzy feelings either. After the second death she made herself look away. It was only a B rated horror movie but, that didn't stop the gore for being disgusting. As the sixth victim approach the killer Raven rose to leave the theater, deciding to take a break to the ladies room.

The theater had a lovely bathroom. Several couches in a seating area, clean floors, large mirrors and sinks. If you had to use a public restroom, this was defiantly the best in the city. She walked passed the mirrors and sinks to the stalls. Noticing only after she was halfway across the room that it was completely silence. Coming from a horror film, and after thinking about her recent circumstances the notion did not make her feel at all at ease. But, she was in a public place and a women's restroom. The likelihood of anything happening here was slim to none, she reasoned. She silently occupied a stall for a few moments, hearing a noise that sounded like the possibility of the door opening, but hearing no one entering a stall. Perhaps they were just checking their make up? Or something else mutually ordain. Raven paid it little attention. Mentally slapping herself for being so paranoid she departed the stall and walked over to the sinks. She started to wash her hands. She glanced up, looking at her reflection absent-mindedly and she gaped in horror. Someone had written something for her on the mirror in what she hoped was nothing more than a red marker.

_Radiant  
Alluring  
Virtuous  
Elegant  
Novel_

She nearly screamed, but gaining better sense of mind she ran out of the room and back into the theater where she had left her friends. She silently debated on what to do, fidgeting in her seat. Should she tell them? Should she leave the theater alone? It had to be him! It had to be that Norf guy! What other explanation could there be? But how had he known where to find her? And he had mentioned seeing her at the mall!

She couldn't tell them though. They would never believe her. Beast Boy would probably just scoff it off as her being afraid after the movie. And she could vouch for nothing. The letters, all three of them where now in the trash and it wasn't as if the male titans could walk right into the women's restroom…and for all she knew, it could still be a sick joke. Perhaps even one of the titans was playing on her. In all rationality it really could be Beast Boy. Perhaps his penmanship was tidier than she had originally thought…she had to be certain before crying wolf.

She could tell now, if she really wanted to. Her friends had no reason to doubt her word. But what would that bring upon her? Intrusion into her privacy was certain. No. She wasn't going to tell until she had proof, proof for herself that it wasn't a joke or prank, that it was serious.

Her silent crisis did not go unnoticed. Cyborg glanced over at her with concern. He couldn't see her features well in the dark of the theater but, he saw enough panic on the girls face and enough loss of her usual composer to know that something was wrong, but he knew better than to ask.

Luckily for Raven, the movie wasn't a long one and ended relatively soon after her bathroom scare. They departed immediately. Raven walking quicker than the other titans. Her eyes darted across the theater lobby and parking lot for signs of anyone watching the group. Despite her surveillance on the area, she could find no one that looked at all suspicious. There appeared to be no one watching her specifically and much to her relief no bonus message added to the T-car.

The ride home consisted of a short commentary on the movie. Beast Boy had no trouble filling Raven in on the parts she had missed. All of them agreeing that it hadn't been the best as far as horror movies go.

"Did you see that part when they chopped off that guy's head? It was so fake!" Beast Boy whined.

"Yeah, you could tell the head was a dummy." Raven agreed. Putting on her mask of calmness.

"Speaking of dummy's." Cyborg grinned, glancing at Beast Boy. "You owe me ten bucks. I told you that the girl wouldn't die in the end."

"Grr…." Beast Boy huffed as Cyborg chuckled.

"Everybody knows the main character never dies, especially if it's a girl." Cyborg grinned.

The rest of the ride was spent with the two male titans arguing over the rules of horror movies, there was an obvious different between the two boys idea of what took place in all movies of the genre. Raven took the time to analyze the situation and what she had to do. The first thing she had to do was take all her letters out of the trash, she was going to read them all and make sure that only one had been from Norf. She had several other tasks as well, including finding out if the culprit could be someone in the tower playing a prank on her. She knew it was above Starfire, so that ruled her out, and Robin would probably not partake in something like this either. That left two Titans. Cyborg and Beast Boy.


	5. Heated Training

**Chapter Five – Heated Training**

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans

_October 9th 12:13 a.m._

_Tick….tock….tick…tock…_Raven fidgeted in her bed. It was just past midnight and she had been wide awake, sitting up trying to figure out what she should do about her dilemma. She glared at her clock, knowing she was going to be tired if she didn't go to bed soon. Hell, she was already tired from getting almost no sleep the night before. Robin had schedule a training session at seven o' clock that morning, meaning that she would need to be up around six or so. She really needed her sleep, but her thoughts continually turned to getting evidence that her _fan_ was merely a joke, played on her by Beast Boy and or Cyborg. Who else could it be? They had been with her at the receipt of every letter, and even at the movies and the mall. She knew that Robin would never take part in such a prank, and innocent, naïve Starfire would never do something so despicable to a friend. It had to be the other two; they must be trying to scare her. Surely that was the answer. What other explanation could there be? How else would the person have known she was at the movies and in the bathroom at that exact time! It just had to be them, and she was going to prove it, all that was left was the how.

She could wait five more days when Cyborg went to the P.O. Box. He would mail all the titans replies to their fan mail as well as pick up their new mail. At that time she could find letters from each of the titans and compare all of their hand writing to one of her letters. She had dug the third letter out of the trash right when she returned home with the boys earlier that day. It was hidden inside a shoe box in her closet, where it would stay until she needed it for something. This plan would work, but it would also take too long. She needed something quicker. Something she could do that very day…she glanced at her clock and sighed, she'd have to sleep on it.

_Beep…beep…beep…crash…_She was going to need a new alarm clock…with a few groans she rose from her bed, not daring to close her eyes for another moment after already having over slept once recently. She hurried to get herself dressed and ready. It was six-thirty. After putting on her uniform and giving her hair a quick brushing, despite the knowledge that it would soon be messed up anyway, she left her room. The tower was quiet, but she could still hear her friends doing their own morning routine. Starfire was as cheerful as always, the first one ready to greet the day.

"Good-morning friend Raven!" she chirped, far too cheerful for so early in the morning.

"Morning Star," Raven replied in a less chipper tone as the alien left to greet her other friends.

"You look tired." Robin commented.

"That's exactly what every woman wants to hear first thing in the morning."

"Sorry." Robin apologized, backing away. He knew better than to bother Raven when she was in a bad mood. She sighed and left it at that. Once all the titans where assembled they went to the gym. Robin gave them the specifics.

"You have two minutes to get to the target I've set across the room." Robin announced. The Titans all glanced towards the opposite side of the room. There on the floor, inside a circle drawn with chalk with a small black box.

"Easy. You think a couple of yards is ganna stop us?" Besatboy dismissed.

"Are you blind, or did you see the obstacles?" Cyborg growled, glancing at his friends and gesturing towards the target. The teens could see various objects all over the floor, none recognizable as anything familiar but, knowing Robin they all did something and would hinder them getting to the Target. Paying a bit closer attention Raven could see a net surrounded the target in a transparent material and was certain that lasers detectors to set off the traps would be all over the floor.

"You've got two minutes, if you get shot you're done. Go." Robin announced. Beast Boy began to run ahead before Cyborg grabbed him by his shirt collar.

"Dude!" Beast Boy whined.

"Movement censors on the floor." Cyborg explained.

"Any in the air?" Raven asked. He shook his head. Beast Boy anxiously turned bird and flew straight over only to somehow set off another censor. Two black robotic droids began chasing him and shooting at him with paint balls. He effectively dodged them, with Raven's help. She took them both out by using her powers to slam them into each other. Beast Boy continued on and Starfire carried Cyborg over the censers. Dropping him after another droid flew into her face surprising her. That managed to set off all the censures and all hell broke loose. Raven slapped herself on the head. Robin watched in disappointed amusement. Starfire was already out, for the other three titans it seemed only a matter of time. Raven ventured forward shielding herself with her aura, reaching Cyborg she grabbed him and attempted to shield him as well. Beast Boy turned himself into a hummingbird and they all quickly proceeded to the target. Once there Beast Boy figured out how to break the netting while his companions attempted to deactivate the droids. Beast Boy barely managed to touch the target when Robin yelled time.

"Did we win?" Beast Boy asked. Robin shook his head.

"You didn't get to open the box, and a teammate got killed. You guys need to strategize faster." Robin sighed. "If we encountered this type of situation in a real mission, someone could get hurt. That could've been a bomb that needed to be deactivated, or a victim in danger." Robin sighed.

"Sorry man." Cyborg said apologetically. After a bit more groaning and talk on strategy the session took a different approach.

"Let's just spare for the rest of the time. Beast Boy and Raven, Cyborg and Star." Robin ordered. Raven mentally groaned. Beast Boy was the last person she wanted to work with right next to Cyborg, but she couldn't argue. Not now anyway. He turned into a gorilla and attempted to attack, she blocked and the fight continued. She kept thinking about the letters, and how scared she had been at the theater. The more she thought about it and how it might be connected to him the angrier she got. It wasn't long before her eyes became red and her attacks where no longer toned down for the occasion.

She kept thinking about how it was his fault that she hadn't been able to sleep. How funny it had probably been to him when she saw the words on the mirror. How he must have laughed at her face as she read every letter!

"Raven." Robin yelled. She turned to look at him and then back at Beast Boy who was on the ground, lying on his back looking up at her, genuine fear in his eyes. Her eyes went back to normal and she ceased levitating. She was shocked at her own behavior…she hadn't even realized what she had been doing…she had just been so angry. Unable to even utter an apology she walked out of the room and hurried to her bedroom.

Now everything was ruined. How could she have let her behavior get so out of hand? She was expecting a visit from Robin or any of the titans any minuet. And then she'd have to apologize to Beast Boy…and how was she going to explain her behavior?

Giving a defeated sigh, she sat on her bed. She was going to have to talk to Robin about what was going on. He would find out if it was Beast Boy or Cyborg or anyone of the titans for that matter, and then he could put it to a stop. She wasn't even going to consider that it might be anyone else. That was her worst fear...that the threat was real.

In the living room the doorbell rang. Robin groaned. He had been on his way to talk to Raven about what had just happened after leaving the other titans to their own devices, asking them to at least work out a bit or to do something to keep them physically active. He opened the door and found no one there, but there was a black envelope on the door mat which he picked up. It was addressed to Raven. What perfect timing. He looked around, but saw no one which was odd considering they were on an isolated island. He walked out around the tower and still saw no one. Shrugging it off, he left to his task.

He knocked twice on the door before she appeared.

"I think you know why I'm here." Robin sighed.

"Of course I do." She groaned. "Come in." she moved aside to allow him to enter. His eyes widened.

"You never let anyone in your room." He observed.

"Thank-you captain obvious." She hissed, her voice dripping in venom. Wisely deciding not to respond to that comment he entered her room, doing his best not to look around in wonder.

"So, are you going to tell me why you went off on Beast Boy?" Robin asked turning to face her as she closed her door. She was about to answer when she noticed his hands.

"What's in your hand?" she asked quickly.

"I found it on the doorstep. Someone rang the bell but, no one was there when I answered, they just left this. It's got your name on it." He replied handing it to her. She didn't reply. She stared at it for a moment, in denial. Her hand trembling slightly she tore the letter open.

_My Dearest Raven,_

_I was depressed when you did not speak to Cyborg about getting my letters to you sooner. I thought the time I gave was adequate. Perhaps it would be better if I just delivered them myself on occasion. Yes, I find that to be a wonderful solution to our problem._

_It's not like I'll need to keep writing for long. We'll be together soon my love. Just be patient. I have a few matters I need to attend to before we can begin our life together. Surely we can both wait, you've waited this long for me haven't you? Just remember, no one loves you more than I do. No one is more right for you than me. It's okay if you don't believe me now. It's okay if you can't see. You'll understand with time. You'll understand very soon. We'll be together forever in just a bit of time. I promise that I'll never let anyone get in our way. I promise you that anyone who tries to keep us apart will regret it. For now, I'll say good-bye my love._

_Love,_

_Norf_

Raven was now in much worse mood than before. She needed to meditate. She needed peace. Robin had waited patiently for her to finish reading the letter but, was now growing impatient to find out what was wrong.

"Read this." She said shoving the letter at him. He looked stunned, but he took it. As he read she went into her closet to grab the other one, which she also gave him and he read.

"You think Beast Boy wrote this? As a joke to scare you?" Robin asked. She nodded. "I have to disagree. There is no way he could ever write this neatly."

"That's what I thought, but yesterday at the theater…" she started, and then backed off the topic, thinking about exactly what to say. "I went to the bathroom during the movie, I was sure I was alone at first, but I heard the door open after me. I didn't see who came in, but when I went to the sink someone had written my name in red marker on the mirror. Who else could've known I was there at that exact theater at that exact time?"

Robin was silent for a few moments, deep in thought.

"I'll talk to him." He nodded. She gave a sigh of relief. "How many letters are there?"

"Those are the third and fourth, I threw the first two away." She answered, happy to comply with any questions regarding the matter. She wanted it dealt with immediately.

"I'll go have a word with them." Robin said. She nodded and he left.


	6. Truth

**Chapter Six – Truth**

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.

_October 9th_

_How could she? How could she have done such a thing! She let another man into her room! How could she do that to him? She never let anyone into her room! It must have been the boy blunder…it must be his doing. She would not betray him like that. Yes…it had to be him. And he was going to pay for it to! He must be trying to steal her away! After all, hadn't he wanted to spar with her alone just the other day? And wasn't he the one who sent her the message to go eat with them at the mall? And wasn't he the one she sat next to! Yes this was his doing!_

_Still…he felt so much pain. How could she have shown him the letters? Why had she done that? She hadn't needed to do it. So why had she? Why had she shown the Titans leader his letters…perhaps…to reject the traffic light titan. Yes that had to be it. He had tried to seduce her. That was why he had gone into her room. She had shown him the letters to reject him, to let him know that she was already taken. Yes, taken by the only person who could ever truly love her. Robin would have to pay for stepping into his territory. Yes. He needed to be taught a lesson and he was just the person to do it._

Robin frowned. He looked at the two letters in his hands again. They weren't very explicit, but they were creepy. He could see exactly why they bothered Raven. The writer appeared delusional, like they actually thought Raven was in love with them…if Beast Boy or Cyborg were playing a joke on her he'd be relieved, but after studying the text he doubted it. Neither of the boys had this fine a hand.

He found them in the training room still. Dodging a ball formed by numerous sweaty socks, mold and various other unidentifiable stinky objects Robin called for their attention.

"Starfire, can I talk to Beast Boy and Cyborg alone?" Robin asked.

"Is there something wrong friend Robin?" Starfire asked concerned for her friends.

"No Star, I just need to ask them something." Robin replied, giving her a reassuring smile. The girl nodded and left.

"What's up man?" Cyborg asked suspicious.

"Yeah, and when is Raven ganna apologize for trying to kill me!"

"Soon Beast Boy. But I need to ask you something first and I want an honest answer."

"Go ahead." Cyborg replied.

"You two aren't playing any pranks on Raven right now are you?" he asked.

"Not yet, but if she doesn't apologize soon I will be." Beast Boy growled.

"Nope." Cyborg answered.

"Can I get your answers in writing please?" Robin asked.

"Sure man, but what is this about?" Cyborg asked.

"We'll talk about it later. Just come with me to the main room."

The three walked briskly towards the main room. Robin had two sheets of paper and two pens on the coffee table. "I want each of you to write 'No I am not playing a prank on Raven' on those pieces of paper. One at a time. Beast Boy you're first."

"Dude. What does this have to do with anything?" Beast Boy asked, growing impatient for his apology.

"Trust me. If I get the results I think I will, I'll get Raven to apologize to you right away." Robin replied.

"Fine." Beast Boy huffed. He wrote the words fairly quickly. Then Cyborg, after giving Robin a suspicious look. Neither hand looked anything like the letter's author. Beast Boy's was fairly sloppy and Cyborg's, though neater still didn't look anything close. He doubted Beast Boy could ever had mastered the hand needed for the letters and it would probably have been difficult for Cyborgas well. There was no way they could have written the letter. He sighed. Raven was not going to be happy about this, he was not happy about this.

"Wait here." He frowned. He himself had been hoping it was a joke. The idea that someone was so easily able to follow one of his team members was not a pleasant one.

* * *

Raven paced her room. She knew Robin would find out which one of the knuckle heads had been teasing her right away. Five minutes passed, then ten and finally almost fifteen before Robin came back. He knocked and she let him in again right away.

"It was Beast Boy wasn't it?" she stated quickly, more than asked.

"…I'm afraid not." He sighed showing her both their hand writing. She stared in disbelief. It just had to be one of them…right?

"Did you check Starfire's hand writing…maybe they got her to write it for them." She suggested, not really believing it herself.

"I think we need to consider that it's not a joke." Robin said seriously. She sat on her bed looking at the ground. Just great. "Look. Beast Boy wants an apology but, after that I want you to tell me everything that was in the first two letters."

"Fine." She sighed, defeated, not even bothering to argue on apologizing to the green boy. She did owe one to him. They left the room. Raven was moping. Beast Boy looked pleased by her presence.

"I'm sorry I hurt you Beat Boy." She sighed.

"I forgive you." He smiled cheerfully, feeling like he had somehow won something. Despite the fact that he had nearly been mauled by a girl.

"One of you go grab Starfire. We've got some work to do." Robin announced. The two other male titans glanced at him curiously. Cyborg leaving to go grab Starfire who was probably in her room.


	7. Loves Revenge

**Chapter Seven – Loves Revenge**

_October 9th_

_A little snip here, a little snip there. He just had to giggle a little bit while working. Oh, how funny it was going to be to watch the boy blunder fall right into his trap. That's what he get's for trying to steal his soul mate. Not that she would have ever accepted any of his advances. No, not his lovely lady bird. She was in love with him and no one else…what an inconvenience it must have been for her to have to explain to that idiot that she was already spoken for. Yes…he would pay for that too. No one should take up her precious time, no one but him._

Robin had been pacing the room for the last twenty minutes. All the titans, with the exception of Cyborg were deep in thought. Cyborg was gathering all the video footage of the grounds surrounding the tower for the last week and hacking into the security camera at the mall and theater. Robin had just questioned Raven on everything that had happened recently. He'd asked at least three dozen questions about the mall and the movie theater that all seemed, in her opinion pointless. She had reluctantly gone along with it; still not quite sure she was happy to have the rest of the team in her affairs. At the moment she was beginning to wish she hadn't said anything to anyone. Robin looked up at her for what seemed like the hundredth time. She grinded her teeth, waiting for the question he'd already asked at least twelve times after he'd asked about the first two letters.

"Are you sure you don't remember anything else?" he asked her.

"Yes." She repeated.

"I just don't understand how he knew where you were both times he mentioned seeing you…" Robin sighed as Cyborg walked out from the hallway.

"I got the tapes ready." Cyborg announced.

"Good. Starfire and Beast Boy I want you to go do a perimeter check around the tower. Make sure no one is lurking around here." Robin ordered.

Robin, Raven and Cyborg left to the control room. Cyborg had all the videos ready to play. They all pulled up a seat. Raven mentally groaned. This was going to take forever…especially knowing Robin. He could be a tad bit….obsessive.

They watched the tower surveillance first. After seeing nothing for a short time, they sped it up to around the time the fourth letter had been delivered. They stared at the screen bewildered. No one had shown up outside the tower according to the camera. The letter just appeared out of thin air and Robin picked it up…they replayed it slowly and quickly at least twenty times.

"I know I heard a knock." Robin said as Beast Boy and Starfire walked in.

"We didn't find anything out of place." Beast Boy informed them.

"I don't get it? It couldn't have just shown up out of thin air." Cyborg stated flatly. They were all bewildered by the tape. After replaying it several more times they kept playing through tower surveillance and eventually city surveillance during the places and times the titans were out.

Eventually after a few hours Robin was left alone to the video task. The others had tried to get him to take a break but he was set in his task and probably wouldn't move unless there was a mission.

Raven went back to her room and sat on her bed, legs crossed. The front tower footage with the absence of her stalker was puzzling…how did he avoid getting seen by the camera? The question was plaguing her mind like a migraine. She needed to know…how had he done it? Did he have a special suit like Red X? Or powers...? Powers was actually a plausible answer. She hadn't seen anyone in the bathroom at the movie theater when he'd written on the mirror…not that she'd really looked, but it did explain how he hadn't been caught on tape. Perhaps he could make himself invisible somehow. Robin needed to hear this idea. Quickly rising from her bed she opened her door and briskly walked to the control room where Robin sat the way he had been for hours, it seemed as though he hadn't moved an inch.

"Robin, I think I know how he avoided the camera." Raven huffed, slightly out of breath.

"Shoot." He said without turning to her.

"Maybe he has powers of some sort. What if he could make himself invisible?" Raven suggested.

"Nice theory, but I doubt it. Look at what I found." Robin replied matter-o-factly. Raven moved closer looking over his shoulder as he let a battle scene play in slow motion circling with a red pen tool a dark shadow figure. He played another clip from another battle and did the same thing, pointing out another shadow who was defiantly watching Raven, repeating the action several more times.

"Are you sure it's him" she asked with dread. Robin nodded.

"I've found the same shadow figure on thirty other missions. The oldest one is from February." Robin explained.

"He's been following me for that long?" Raven gaped. That was nine months...nine months of being followed and she was only now aware? They heard a crack and were immediately immersed in darkness, the crash of falling glass following seconds afterwards. The screen still illuminated the room like a nightlight.

"I'll have Cyborg fix it later. I'm going to do some more digging and see if I can get any of his face."

"…Let me know if you find anything else useful." She mumbled.

* * *

The hard surface of the punching bag felt good beneath his fists. He'd been sitting in that chair for far too long, but at least now he the evidence he needed. He'd made three discs worth of video footage of Norf. Whether they were fighting, shopping or eating Pizza he always seemed to be there, and his profile always turned towards Raven. It was all the court would need along with the letters once they caught the son of a bitch who was harassing his team. They were the Teen Titans, and he was going to make sure that everyone knew not to mess with them. Let Norf be the example if he wanted to be.

After hitting the bag a few more times he let himself relax for a few minutes, catching his breath. Then with a quick turn of his heal he walked to towards the open door, ready for a nice cold shower and a few hours of sleep. The door closed before he could get halfway to it. He didn't hesitate or stop at all despite his confusion; he simply continued on towards the door and tugged on the handle. It was stuck…had someone locked him in? Rustling noises behind him forced him to ignore the door for a moment. Turning his back to the door he turned towards the gym. Three silver robots stood in a triangular form watching him with red blinking eyes. He took a step away from the door, it had been a mistake.

* * *

Unable to sleep due to her own anxiety that 'Norf' or whatever his real name was, was watching her that very minuet Raven took a stroll around the tower. Mostly checking for her own sanity that everything was in order the way it should be. That nothing had been altered or changed. Everything seemed to be in place. She stopped by the control room for a moment to check if Robin was still awake, she wouldn't put it past him considering how obsessed he could get. She remembered how bad his compulsion to find Slade had gotten not too long ago and shuddered, hoping that nothing would ever come to get that serious again.

When she got to the control room it was empty. She was disappointed a little that he wasn't there. But then again, he was only human and he also required sleep. It was probably for the best, he'd be sharper when he returned to looking again. She only had a few more places to go. The common room was eerie without the shouts of Beast Boy and Cyborg or the cheerful squeals of Starfire. She left immediately and walked towards the gym. The light was on. Robin was probably inside relieving some steam. He always had a lot pent up, every villain seemed to get under his skin personally. Not because they treated him any differently than any of the other titans, perhaps because he despised them and their antics just a little more than his friends. She peeped through the square glass window in the door.

"Robin!" she shouted.


	8. Threats

**Chapter Eight - **Threat

**Disclaimer:** I don' own Teen Titans

_October 10th – 1:30 a.m._

Raven took a sharp breath after calling out Robin's name. Inside the gym team's leader was fighting for his life. Three robots fought and attacked him mercilessly. Why wasn't he winning? He always won! Slade's robots had never been a problem so what was with these? Was this a new training program? If that was the case it sure as hell didn't look like it. The floor was streaked with blood. Robin was slowing down, his breathing quickening; it was obvious to any watcher that he wasn't able to keep up with the three merciless metal soldiers. With all her strength Raven pushed and pulled at the door but was unable to get it open, meaning that Robin probably couldn't either. That told her all she needed to know.

"Azerath, Metrion, Zynthos!" she shouted using her powers to break the door down. She enveloped one of the robots in her aura and slammed it into the gym wall with as much force as she could muster, effectively breaking it like a cheap toy. Her shouting roused the remainder of the team from their peaceful slumbers, all of whom ran into the gym bewildered by the sight. Starfire and Beast Boy helped Raven to take out the remaining robots while Cyborg went to help Robin and assess his injuries.

"Dude? What happened?" Beast Boy questioned once the robots were taken out of commission.

"What were you doing with my new training bot prototypes? I didn't even program them yet!" Cyborg asked Robin, as the remainder of the team came over to where they were hunched on the floor. Robin was hunched over clutching his left side, Raven kneeled next to him quickly and moved his hand away from the wound. He flinched but allowed it and blue light came forth from her hands healing the wound enough to stop the bleeding at least. That was all she could do for the moment, and that alone had taken a small bit of the strength and control that remained in her. She had to calm herself.

"I just came for a short workout and when I turned to leave the door closed and wouldn't open. I turned around and then those things started attacking me." Robin explained.

"Look, we're ganna get you to the infirmary and clean you up. Then you're going to get some rest while I figure out who was messing with my machines or at least what they did with them." Cyborg ordered, taking charge of the situation.

"I'm fine. Let me help." Robin dismissed the order.

"You are not fine!" Starfire cried. Tears spouting from her eyes at the sight of her injured friend.

"I have to agree with Starfire on this one." Beast Boy nodded.

"You need rest." Raven agreed, all of them crossing their arms over their chests. The boy was outnumbered and he knew it. He had no choice.

"Fine. But I don't want any of you alone…we obviously have a security breech."

"Agreed. Starfire will stay with you. Raven, BB and I will work on this together." Cyborg nodded in agreement. "You two go wait in the common room while I take care of Robin." He added, glancing at his future help. The two nodded and walked off towards the Common room. Starfire began helping Robin to the infirmary, followed by Cyborg.

Left alone the pair sat on the couch. Raven sitting on one end, and her fellow green titan on the other, keeping as large a distance as possible between them. She had a hunch of who the culprit had been…

"How was someone able to get into the tower?" Beast Boy asked. That sent a chill up both the pair's spines.

"The bigger question is, who got into the tower." Raven sighed. Beast Boy glanced over at the frowning brow of the dark titan.

"You think it was him don't you?…Norf." Beast Boy stated, rather than asked. She didn't have to answer…the mere mention of his name was enough to tell him she did, since she shuddered.

"Rae…." He started but was cut off.

"Don't call me that." She hissed, glaring at him. Beast Boy gave a small smile to that; she was beginning to return to her old irritable self just a little bit.

"Sorry, _Raven_. Don't worry ok? We're ganna get all that stalker stuff figured out I mean…I know it's really freaking you out…since you like your privacy and stuff but, don't worry okay? Nothing's going to happen. We're going to find him and put an end to this…and if…if he somehow got into the tower and is the one who did that to Robin….we're going to find out how and make sure it doesn't happen again." Besatboy said in a somewhat serious tone. His little speech was rewarded by a small smile gracing Raven's lips.

"…Thanks Beast Boy." She replied quietly as Cyborg walked back into the room.

"You both ready to get to work?" Cyborg asked.

"Let's hop to it," Beast Boy said, literally hopping off the couch and taking Raven's hand as she rose. He was surprised that she let him, but then shrugged it off. She was probably still scared. Maybe he was doing something right for once, a voice in his head had to laugh at that.

After spending the remaining hours until dawn going over the robots the three titans had discovered several things, all of which were important and all of which lead them to a horrifying truth that neither of them wanted to accept, but had no choice to.

The culprit had somehow memorized or learned Robin's usual combat styles and programmed the robots to counter or copy every move he would usually make...explaining how they had taken him down so easily. Robin had been too weary and tired from working on the videos to even notice and change is usual fighting style. The facts proved that someone was able to get into the tower, and that they were either still in the tower or that they had also managed to get out undetected. This meant a major breech in tower security. Cyborg was pissed that someone had the technology to knock down his security systems and managed to program his new training droids…when he found out who had done it they were going to pay. The sad part was, they had no way to know who it was. The titans had so many enemies it was hard to consider who could have planned and acted upon such a feet. There were certain people who could be rules out, like Cinder Block, and some others but, for the most part the options remained open.

_Later October 10th_

At dawn when the titans had decided to call it quits for the night Cyborg went to check the infirmary, telling the other two to wait in the common area. The last thing Robin needed was to hear any of Beast Boy's jokes. He walked as quietly as his tin body would allow. His hopes were achieved. Sleeping in the infirmary bed was a cute pair of titans; Robin had his arm clutched around Starfire and the pair rested peacefully on the infirmary bed. If the situation had been more under more cheerful circumstances Cyborg might have taken a picture for future teasing usage, but since rest hadn't been coming easy the last day or so he'd let the pair rest. Especially since Robin was still severely injured. He was hoping Raven could do some more healing work on him later.

Another surprise greeted him back in the common room. Beast Boy was on one end of the couch, Raven next to him with her head leaned on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Cyborg grinned. The only thing stopping him from pulling out a camera on this one was the fact that Raven would brutally murder him if he ever did such a thing. She'd probably wake up before the green titan and remove herself from his clutches immediately, denying any involvement in it. He had to laugh at that, doing his best not to let his chuckles awaken the two titans. Stretching his arms and giving a yawn he went to his room to recharge. Despite Robin's orders he had to recharge and he wasn't going to disturb the sleeping couple on the couch to go and sit in his room with him, it wasn't as if he had anything remotely comfortable for them to sit on in there anyway. They were better off where they were. Aside from that he knew Raven was having a hard time sleeping. He doubted she would go back to sleep if he woke her, better to let them sleep.

* * *

Raven awoke around noon to the sounds of shuffling in the kitchen. She didn't remember falling asleep on the couch, but apparently she had. Getting up and stretching she noticed Beast Boy shuffling around attempting to make them all breakfast. She joined him and made herself a cup of tea.

"Morning." He mumbled, concentrating on the task at hand. Raven noted he had wisely chosen to make pancakes instead of one of his tofu scrambles or fake bacon. Cyborg would not be happy to wake up to one of those breakfasts.

A loud knock at the door interrupted her from those thoughts. Both the titans looked up and together went to answer it after Beast Boy quickly turned off the stove. Once near the door Beast Boy cut Raven off with his arm and moved closer alone. When he opened the door. The pair glanced at each other, no one was there. With closer inspection they noted the two envelopes left on the doorstep and Raven mentally groaned…she did not need this, especially first thing in the morning. The envelopes exterior made it quite obvious who they were from. Beast Boy picked them up and locked the door. One was addressed to Raven, the other Robin.

"Should we go get the others?" he asked. Raven nodded, Robin wouldn't be too happy if they waited until later, he'd rather they wake him if he was even still sleeping. They checked the infirmary first. Starfire was sleeping alone on the infirmary bed, meaning that Robin had gone back to work.

"I'll go get Cyborg, you wake her." Beast Boy ordered. Raven nodded and entered the infirmary. Starfire was easy enough to wake.

"Good morning friend Raven!" Starfire grinned. "Where is friend Robin?"

"I think he went back to work…we need to go to the control room. Beast Boy and Cyborg are going to meet us there." Raven said. Deciding to skip the details, they would have to explain it to Robin and likely Cyborg so why should she go over it more than once if she didn't have to? Starfire didn't seem to grasp the dismay in her friends voice. She grabbed her hand and skipped cheerfully towards the control room. Beast Boy and Cyborg appeared shortly after. Beast Boy holding the letters. Robin paused the tape momentarily to face them. Eyeing the letters through his mask.

"Someone knocked on the door. We opened it and no one was there but these were. One is for you Robin." Beast Boy said handing the letters to their owners.

"I'll go first." Robin announced. He tore it open and read it aloud to the titans. "Stay away from Raven." Was all that was written in black ink on red paper. It was a threat, and they all knew it. The droids had been a warning…it was all too clear who had reprogrammed them now. "You're turn." The titans all turned to look at Raven.


	9. Swarmed

**Chapter Nine – Swarmed**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans.

Raven stared at the envelope for a few moments, contemplating if it was even a good idea to open it. Maybe they should just start ignoring him…that would work, right?…probably not. With a reluctant sigh she tore the envelope open and handed it to Robin.

"You read it." She said. He took it and read aloud:

_My dearest Raven,_

_I just wanted to apologize for not being there for you when Robin so boldly forced himself into your room. I can't imagine how invasive that had to feel, you never let anyone into your room. I know I couldn't be there to help you before, but I took care of the problem. If the "Boy Wonder" ever bothers you again, I'll make sure to find a more permanent solution._

_We'll be together soon._

"Wait, you went into Raven's room?" Beast Boy asked shocked.

"Since when do you let anyone into your room?" Cyborg asked Raven.

"This is marvelous, we can now do the 'hanging out' and 'girl talk' in friend Raven's room!" Starfire smiled.

"Guys! That's not the point." Robin groaned.

"I only let him in to show him the letters. It was a dire situation, don't be mistaken. It won't happen again." Raven growled.

"So, I think we can safely assume that Norf messed with the training bots." Robin stated flatly, his mind going into overdrive. The others nodded in agreement. Raven was devastated by the letter and what her stalker had done to her friend. "So, what we need to do is figure out how he was able to get into the tower and how he's watching us. Cyborg, do a full security revamp and check on the tower. Leave nothing untouched. I'll help you after Beast Boy and I do a run of the tower."

"What shall we do?" Starfire asked referring to Raven and herself.

"Help Cyborg if he needs anything lifted or moved around. Otherwise just wait until Beast Boy and I are done." Robin ordered. Cyborg began running a systems check on the tower and the other two male titans walked out to start their search of the tower. Raven and Starfire sat idle and bored for a while. Starfire suggested they cook something, as no one had eaten in a while at one point, to which Cyborg cringed and Raven politely turned down. Raven and Starfire, the two worst cooks in the tower making a meal together could only spell disaster. They would have to wait to eat.

Robin and Beast Boy returned after a few hours of searching the tower. Beast Boy proudly handed over a baggie to Cyborg.

"He had the tower bugged?" Cyborg gasped.

"Every single room of the tower had at least one. Still haven't checked in here." Robin said as Beast Boy began a search. "Or Raven's room."

"Let's go check now." Raven suggested. "I can finish healing your wound."

"Isn't that what got him the wound in the first place?" Beast Boy asked innocently. Earning him a death glare.

"No one's getting into the tower once my new security plans are put into action. I'm going to need everyone's help." Cyborg announced.

"Let's go." Robin said glancing at Raven. The pair walked out of the control room, Beast Boy handing over a few more of the "bugs" to Cyborg.

Raven was not happy about the bugs…the idea that someone was spying in on them…on her. It did explain a lot though. Like how he had know where the titans were in the tower…how she had been going to the movies with the male titans and before that the mall. Thing were starting to make sense…but maybe not for the better. This was getting scary.

At her door Robin followed her into her room behind her. She turned on the lights and closed the door behind them. He did a quick sweep, finding three within two minutes. After about five minutes, when he finished, for her room was fairly furnished and had plenty of places to hide such a thing, he had found a total of ten. Raven was not happy…not only had this stalker invaded her personal space by spying on her but he had been in her room…a thought that brought anger, rage and fear…how he had managed to get into her room scared her…he could have been in her room at any moment and she probably wouldn't have known…she could have been in there with him...he could have come at anytime while she was sleeping. A statue broke.

"Calm down. We're going to revamp all the security." Robin soothed. Putting a hand on her shoulder. It was a gesture normally unwelcome from anyone, but at the moment it brought comfort.

"…I know." She said softly. But knowing that didn't make it any easier on her mind. For all they knew he could be in the tower right now…that thought alone was cause for panic. But she had to get a grip on her emotions. She controlled them, not the other way around. No way was she going to let this creep get under her skin.

"Let me heal your side." Raven said, regaining a tiny portion of confidence from her own inner pep talk.

"Are you sure you're okay to?" Robin asked. She knew he was worried she might lose control of her powers, which could happen all too easily if she was put under enough emotional stress. She gave a low sigh.

"I can do it." Her monotone voice assured him.

"Ok." He agreed. She put her hands over the wound and blue enveloped the wound. Robin grinned when she was done; she knew he was feeling about ten times better.

The pair walked out of the room and back to the control room where Cyborg was creating plans to redo all of the tower security.

"Anyone else hungry…?" Beast Boy asked curiously as they all arranged themselves around the room.


	10. Security Measures

**Chapter Ten – Security Measures**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans.

_"Anyone else hungry…?" Beast boy asked curiously as they all arranged themselves around the room._

There was a moment of silence before the titans all realized that yes, they were indeed hungry. With the recent hysteria it was no wonder they had forgotten to eat.

"Beast Boy has a point. We really need to refuel." Robin agreed.

"Shall I do the preparing of lunch?" Starfire grinned cheerfully.

"NO!" Cyborg and Beast Boy said just a little too quickly, making Starfire frown. Robin shot them a look.

"You do not wish to eat the food of Starfire?" she asked with a hurt expression.

"It's not that Star, it's just…you must be tired, we all are. Maybe we should go out to eat." Robin suggested.

"You mean leave the tower undefended?" Raven asked. "What if he comes back."

"Should one of us stay here?" Cyborg asked

"We could order something." Beast Boy suggested.

"You know it takes forever. The one bad thing about living on an island." Cyborg replied.

"One of us should go pick something up." Robin said just as the alarm sounded. The titans ran to the main room of the tower, the computer monitor came down from the ceiling and showed the H.I.V.E. having a shopping spree at the mall, apparently the stores were having a sale involving a five finger discount.

"Titans Go!" Robin ordered.

"Wait!" Raven said. That stopped them.

"Are we all going or should someone stay to watch the tower?" Raven asked.

"Good point. Cyborg, why don't you stay behind on this one. Work on the plans for the security upgrade. When we get back you can go to the store to get parts. We'll grab food on the way back." Robin suggested. "Call if anything happens."

"Call me if you need backup." Cyborg nodded. The team dispersed.

Raven levitated next to Starfire and Beast Boy who was in bird form. Robin was below on his R-Cycle. She was glad that someone was staying behind in the tower. It was a relief to know that if _he_ did go back to the tower, someone would be there to deal with him. Now that they expected it, were more alert, she didn't think he could get inside so easily. Even with most of the security measures down, Cyborg was bound to notice something amiss, an extra presence, right? But then again…perhaps he wouldn't go back to the tower…perhaps he'd be there at the mall…watching her. Like he had in all the footage Robin had found…that thought scared her. He could be anywhere…watching her right then as she flew to the mall which, now visible was obviously in a state of panic. The parking lot was deadlocked and jammed with people attempting to leave. She would have to stop worrying about that creep and focus on the task at hand. They were shorthanded and she knew that without Cyborg there to help the battle would be a bit more difficult.

The Titans landed next to Robin who got off his bike long before reaching the jammed parking lot and ran towards the mall door. They followed him in search of the H.I.V.E. who weren't very hard to find. They were hitting up the jeweler loading everything within the store in large black bags.

"Drop the bags." Robin said as the three thieves looked up. They frowned, obviously annoyed by the interruption of the titans.

"Don't you freaks have anything better to do?" Jinx asked.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way." Robin said. "Your choice."

"In that case," Jinx said sending a wave of pink energy at the titans leader who dodged it and sent a high kick in her direction. The battle began. Starfire attacked Gizmo with her starbolts and Beast Boy turned into a Rhino and went after Mammoth. Raven found herself looking around, the mall was empty but she still wondered if somewhere nearby Norf was watching her. Was he behind that mannequin over there? Perhaps hiding in the stack of jeans in the store across the way?

"Raven! Heads up!" Robin yelled as Mammoth flew straight at her. She didn't have time to react before he hit her and the pair slammed into the wall, causing it to crack and nearly crumble. She hurt everywhere, but she knew she had to get up. If that was possible, Mammoth still hadn't gotten up.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos." she chanted using her powers to life the heavy villain off of her. Robin deployed one of his nets which tasered the villain for a moment, knocking him out.

"You'll pay for that!" Jinx hissed, engaging in hand to hand combat with Robin. Raven moved to help Starfire with Gizmo. The runt was shooting at her with his latest toy, a white little gun that looked as though it packed about as much power as one of Starfire's Starbolts. Raven used her powers to rip the gun out of his hand and Starfire shot a few Starbolts at him. She grabbed one of the loot bags with her powers and dumped the continents out on the floor before throwing the bag over the tiny menace. Starfire grabbed it and tied the top.

"Hey! Let me out of here you crudmunchers!" Gizmo shouted, among other things. By the time they were done Beast Boy and Robin had already finished tying Jinx up as well, Mammoth was still knocked out.

"Beast Boy go tell the authorities to come get these three." Robin suggested.

"You got it boss." Beast Boy nodded going in cheetah form.

"We are victorious!" Starfire cheered.

"Yeah, we are." Robin agreed as Beast Boy ran into the room again still a cheetah. He returned to human form and jumped in the air.

"Teen Titans rule." He grinned patting Raven hard on the back. She cringed and a small yelp left her lips.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked. "I know Mammoth hit you kind of hard."

"Fine." She lied. In truth, she hurt a lot. She would wait to heal though. She wanted out of his place.

"Why were you spacing out anyway?" Beast Boy asked curiously.

"It's nothing." She lied again. "Can we go now?"

"Why don't you two head back to the tower, Star and I will get the food and be back." Robin agreed. The team walked briskly out of the mall in high spirits at their victory and went their separate ways. Beast Boy turned into a hawk and flew beside Raven as she levitated back towards the tower. Though she wanted to, she dared not look back at the scene below, lest she see a shadow among the crowd of fans down below that were cheering and clapping as they left the mall.

When they got back to the tower they went walked into an empty main room.

"He's probably in the control room." Beast Boy shrugged. Raven nodded. They walked, briskly towards the control room to check on Cyborg. Raven let out a breath of air that she hadn't been aware she was holding at the sight of him sitting at a table working on his plans.

"How was it?" he asked without looking up.

"The usual." Beast Boy shrugged. "We kicked butt."

"Where are Robin and Star?" he asked looking up.

"They went to get food." Raven replied.

"I'm just about done with the plans. I've just got to go pick up the stuff I need. After we eat." Cyborg grinned.

"I'm glad." Raven said. And she was. New security meant no one who didn't belong there in the tower. She would rest a lot easier after the new plan was implemented.

"How long is it going to take?" Beast Boy asked.

"A few days at best. That's assuming we don't have too many missions." He shrugged.

A few days? A few days! She had been hoping it would only take one…two maximum. A few probably meant more along the lines of a week…she didn't know if she could take another week worrying if Norf was watching her while she slept, ate or heaven forbid changed…and what if this time it wasn't his little creepy bugs…what if next time he was really there. She hated herself for letting the fear get to her but…she had to admit. He must have been pretty smart for all the things he'd managed to do so far…how close he'd gotten without her or the other titans even noticing…and he had said they would be together soon hadn't he? That it would only be a little longer? What did he mean by that? That he was going to take her somewhere?...she didn't like that thought…she didn't like it at all.

"Raaavvvveeeen." Beast Boy said waving a hand in front of her face. She blinked, suddenly aware of the room again. "What's up with you today? You spaced out during the mission and I've been waving my hand in front of your face for like five whole minuets. Did you really hit your head that hard?"

"Sorry I was just…distracted." She muttered.

"Robin and Star are almost back. We're meeting in the common room." He said.

"Alright." She nodded and the group walked to the common room. They sat on the couch, Cyborg turned on the TV and within ten minuets Starfire and Robin returned with three large pizza's. One covered in various forms of meat, one covered in vegetables with no cheese and one with just pepperoni.

"I'm going to just take mine with me and get going. I want to get this done as quickly as possible." Cyborg said.

"Sounds like a good plan." Robin said handing him the meaty pizza's box. Cyborg took out a slice and carried the box with one hand, eating with the other as he walked down to the T-car. Meat lover's pizza with seven kinds of meat on it. That was defiantly his favorite pie. The only thing that would make it better was a few other kinds of meat. He enjoyed every bite, finishing a third of the pizza before he even put the key in the ignition. He left the titans island through the secret underground tunnel and got onto jump cities streets. Forgoing his pizza, preferring to keep both hands on the wheel lest his car, his baby, get scratched should he get into an accident or anything.

Seeing the light turning yellow he slowly put his foot on the break. The car didn't slow down though. It kept going at full speed, it was even accelerating! He was going to crash into the car in front of him! Cyborg gasped. He didn't have time to figure out what was wrong; he had to get out of traffic. He swerved onto the sidewalk, grateful that no pedestrians were in his way and moved around traffic. Then he saw the sign for the park and turned to go in. Off the road he was only a danger to buildings and people and people were easier to avoid in an open space.

He hurried to move the car as panicked people stood in place and others ran. The car continued to go. He was going to have to stop it and there was only one way he knew how. Up ahead a large oak tree appeared. There were no civilians in the area.


	11. Serious Danger

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans.

**Chapter Eleven –Serious Danger**

Raven sat on the couch in the common room with the other titans. They had devoured the pizza like a starving pack of wolves, everyone except Raven. She hardly had an appetite. She had only managed to shove one slice down her throat. It was hard to eat when she knew _he_ could be watching her. She couldn't help but think how unfair this was…the situation sounded more likely to happen to Robin, Starfire or Cyborg. Even Beast Boy should have had a better chance at obtaining a creepy stalker than her. This just wasn't fair. But then they did say that "life wasn't fair." The unfortunate truth she'd learned to live with. She sighed.

"Everything okay?" Robin asked looking over at his teammate. Raven looked up and nodded. It was about as alright as it was going to be for the moment. She was somewhat safe, in the tower with her friends. Which reminded her, one of her friends was absent. Where was Cyborg? He had been gone for more than an hour.

"Cyborg's been gone a long time…" Raven commented. Robin's eyes widened a bit beneath his mask. He immediately pulled out his communicator and called Cyborg. They waited. There was no response.

"Maybe he's just busy carrying a bunch of stuff. You know he goes overboard when he goes to the electronics store." Beast Boy shrugged, though he was obviously not convincing even himself with the suggestion.

"Can you track his location?" Raven asked.

"I'm already on it." Robin said getting up. The group moved quickly to the control room. Robin ran a search on the computer for Cyborg's communicator. He could have done so with his communicator but, it was easier for them all to see with the large computer screen. Raven was worried. She knew that there was a chance Beast Boy was right but, it was still unlike Cyborg. He would have put his things down, he would have heard it. And after the threats Norf had been sending…there was reason for concern.

"It looks stationary…but this is the park. What's he doing at the park?" Robin asked.

"Maybe he just dropped his communicator." Beast Boy said quickly with hope.

"We should go check on friend Cyborg." Starfire suggested.

"I'll go. Starfire, Beast Boy I want you to stay here. Guard the tower. Raven you're coming with me." Robin said.

"Why does she get to go?" Besatboy grumbled.

"I know you're worried Beast Boy, but if he _is_ hurt, than Raven might be able to heal him. It's just a precaution. We'll contact you once we get there and tell you right away." Robin said putting a hand on the shoulder of the green titan. Beast Boy nodded.

"Please be careful friend." Starfire said as they walked through the door.

"We will be Star, you guys be careful to." Robin replied. Raven followed him with a mixture of fear and worry. Robin was right. There was a good chance something was seriously wrong. Cyborg would not have stopped in the park knowing the dire situation with the tower security. Especially considering that if Norf could get in and out of the tower it likely meant other villains had the same opportunity. No, Cyborg had a sense of duty and the tower was another one of his "babies" like the T-car. There was no way he would ever goof off when it was in danger…when his friends were in danger.

"I'll teleport us there, it'll be faster." Raven said quickly.

"No. We'll take the R-Cycle. If something's wrong you're going to have to be on you're A game. We were shorthanded enough without Cyborg and now it's just us." Robin explained. Raven nodded in agreement. He was right. While they needed to hurry, they also needed to be strategically, teleporting took a lot of energy. They went down to the garage and he took the R-Cycle out and hopped on. She gave a low sigh before getting on the back of it. Riding on the R-Cycle was not her idea of a good time. She didn't like the loss of personal space required to ride it, seeing as how she had to cling to Robin. It was also loud. No, she was not going to enjoy this. She would defiantly be teleporting home or riding in the T-Car…assuming everything was okay.

"Hold on tight." Robin said. And she did, because Robin took off faster than a speeding train and Raven thought she might not live long enough to find out if Cyborg was okay. Robin was defiantly not interested in the speed limit or any traffic laws. After getting off the titans island he weaved in and out of traffic and at once point Raven thought they were going to crash into another car but somehow, he made the R-Cycle jump on top of it and he car hopped on a few car roofs before hopping off and cutting through one end of the park to get to where Cyborg was. To say she was relieved when Robin started to slow down would have been an understatement. And she would have been more grateful than a sailor who'd been at sea for three years to get off the R-Cycle had she not seen why Cyborg hadn't answered his communicator.

Ten yards in front of them the T-Car, or what was left of it was smoking. The car had hit a large oak tree and the tree didn't look like it was in any better shape than the car. It had actually fallen and hit the car dead center. The titans ran to see if there friend was still inside. Cyborg sat in the driver's seat, his head was bleeding on its human side and he was bent forward.

"We have to get him out of there." Robin said. Robin tried the door but it wouldn't budge. Raven used her powers and ripped it off. While she set it down Robin checked his vitals. "He's still alive but barely."

"I can heal his human half but, if any of his vital mechanics are damaged…" Raven said.

"I know...But if he can regain consciousness, he might be able to repair himself. We won't know until we try." Robin said. Raven nodded and together they gently, as they could pulled Cyborg out of the T-Car and laid him on the grass. Raven sat next to his head and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She put her hand over his head wound and it began to glow blue. It took a few moments, but after she did what she could for him her hands went back to normal.

"Teleport him back to the tower. I want to look at the T-Car and see if I can figure out why he crashed.

"Just be careful…" was her reply. Since they didn't know how it happened they couldn't rule out it was an enemy and not an accident. Not than an accident seemed likely considering it was Cyborg, a minor accident in traffic was understandable of anyone, but this sort of accident…? Cyborg was an excellent driver. This sort of thing wasn't likely to happen on its own and they knew it. Raven masked Cyborg and herself within her soul self and returned them to the tower, doing her best to navigate them to the med room.

"Beast Boy, Starfire!" she yelled when she arrived. They came immediately, her voice echoing through the eerily quiet tower.

"Cyborg!" Starfire gaped.

"What happened?" Beast Boy demanded.

"There was an accident, we just found the T-car totaled. We don't know what happened. Robin stayed behind to try and figure it out. I healed him as best I could but…I can't repair his mechanical parts. If he wakes up, he might be able to do it himself or tell us what to do but…if he doesn't…" Raven explained.

"Whoever did this is going to pay." Beast Boy growled. Raven put a hand on his shoulder.

"There will be no mercy." She agreed. "Let's get the blood cleaned up." And with that Beast Boy gently wiped the drying blood off his friends head and shoulders. The two female titans watched solemn and waited in earnest for him to awaken or at least for some news from Robin. With those thoughts Starfire's communicator went off.

"Friend Robin, you are unharmed?" Starfire asked.

"Fine Star, listen up. What happened to Cyborg was no accident. His breaks were cut, someone was defiantly messing with the T-car." Robin said. That was all they needed to know. Anger found a home in the heart of all the titans. Someone had dared to hurt their friend?

"Are you coming back to the tower?" Raven asked.

"Not quite. Starfire, meet me here at the park with the list of parts Cyborg was getting. We're going to go get them and revamp tower security with or without Cyborg. Beast Boy, Raven how about Cyborg? Should we send him to a hospital and see what they can do or…?" Robin asked.

"No. There is nothing they can do for him that I have not already done. We'll wait." Raven said. Robin nodded.

"Starfire, get here fast. I want security up now." Robin ordered.

"I will be there faster than a glumphornsbamfan." Starfire said taking the plans for tower security with her. Starfire left the tower quickly, almost forgetting to open the door instead of flying through it. Beast Boy glanced at his friend, lying on the table. He was a dangerous mix of sad and angry all too obvious on his face.

"Beast Boy…" Raven said.

"He shouldn't have been alone…I should have gone with him." Beast Boy said, hitting a wall and making a huge hole in it.

"If you had gone we might have two Titans down instead of one. But you're right…one of us should have gone with him. We won't make that mistake again." She said.

"Who do you think could have done this?" Beast Boy asked.

"I don't know." She said and she meant it. It really could have been anybody. They could have messed with it any of the times it was parked on the street. Perhaps they just hadn't had a chance to finish and it had chosen now to break on its own with the little bit of held it'd had. That or perhaps her other suspicion was right…she wanted to say it may have been Norf. He had tried to hurt Robin, he could have hurt Cyborg. But the question was why? He had been mad at Robin for going into her room and because she had told Robin about the letters. She hadn't done anything that she could think of to give him cause to harm Cyborg. But, it wasn't as if there had to be a logical reason. Norf was delusional…he could have made something up. Hell, he made their entire 'relationship' up. She wouldn't say anything. There was still a good chance he had nothing to do with it. It could have been Gizmo…the titans all knew he had a thing for breaking Cyborg's toys…it could have been anyone.

Robin and Starfire walked out of the security hardware store with more wires, electric tape, hardware supplies than they had known existed. They had gotten everything on the list. Starfire's super strength made carrying it all a breeze as there was more than Robin could handle alone. The pair reached the R-Cycle and stopped in their tracks. Sitting on the seat were two envelopes. A red one addressed to Robin and a lavender one addressed to Raven. Robin didn't have to guess who had left them. He looked around, as did Starfire. There was no one. He checked under the cars, around the building and still no one. Next he checked his bike to make sure no one had tampered with it. It was fine. He took the letters and put them in his jacket pocket.

"I'll meet you at the tower." He said.

Beast Boy paced the room, back and forth while Raven tried to meditate and ease her nerves. It wasn't working. Not only because Beast Boy's pacing was annoying the hell out of her, but she just had too much pent up frustration…everything was happening so quickly. She was angry that anyone dared harm one of her teammates; the attacks on Robin and Cyborg were both unjustified and intolerable. If she ever got her hands on the culprit they would wish they had never been born, let alone had the nerve to attack a titan. She was pretty sure Beast Boy felt the same. Regardless, meditation was not working. They heard a thud and brisk walking. Both titans muscles automatically tensed.

"Friends, I have returned." Starfire called from the hall entering the control room with eight bags of wires and other odds and ends. "Has there been any change?"

"No Star." Raven replied, reluctantly.

"I see." She sighed. "Friend Robin is on his way. On the departing of the store there were letters from Norf on his R-Cycle."

"…Are you sure?" Raven asked. That led her suspicions about his involvement in Cyborg's attack to be more accurate than she had thought. If he had left a letter it was likely he had something to say…especially if there was more than one.

"Yes." She said as Robin entered behind her. He showed her the letters after putting his bags down. The titans gathered round.

"One for me again and another for you…should I open them. Or do you want to?" he asked.

"You." She said quickly. Robin opened the one addressed to himself first.

_Robin,_

_I hope that you will take my threats more seriously from now on. Thanks to your inability to stay away from my Raven, and out of her quarters your dear friend Cyborg is hurt. Your abominable green friend will be next if he doesn't learn to keep his hands to himself. If you want to live I suggest you follow my rules:_

_Do not touch my Raven._

_Do not enter her quarters._

_Do not stand in my way._

_That is all._

_Norf_

"_He_ did that to Cyborg!" Beast Boy roared.

"Let me read the other one." Robin said, his voice tight. It was obvious he was controlling his own anger.

_My Dearest Raven,_

_I hope you can bare your suffering a little longer. I'll take you away from here. A paradise where you can be your true self and we can always be happy. Just a little longer. If any of them lays another finger on you, they'll regret it. I know you could not bare to be touched by anyone other than I, again. We will be together soon._

_Love,_

_Norf_

"He's going to pay…" Robin said. Raven's heart sank with every word of the letter. This was her fault…if she hadn't attracted that creepy weirdo none of this would be happening. Robin would not have been attacked, Cyborg would not be in a coma and Beast Boy would never have been threatened. She was thankful he had no qualms with Starfire yet…at least one of them might remain safe.

"I hope you're listening Norf!" Beast Boy yelled to the air looking around. "I'm going to find you and you're ass is mine! You think I'm afraid of you?"

"Beast Boy stop." Raven said. This was a bad idea. If he had somehow managed to infiltrate again or if they had missed a bug…Beast Boy could be attracting fatal attention to himself.

"I will not stop! Look Norf I'm touching her!" Beast Boy said poking Raven in the cheek. She brushed his arm away. "Look! I'm even going to hug her!" and with that he did hug Raven who pushed him off as quickly as she could.

"Beast Boy, stop." Robin said, Starfire grabbed his arm.

"Don't tell me you're afraid." Beast Boy growled.

"I'm not afraid but, we have work to do. I want this guy as badly as you do but we need to get to fix the security." Robin said.

"Not without me." a low voice coughed. They turned.

"Cyborg!" they all shouted in unison.


	12. Victory Meal

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.**

**Chapter Twelve – Victory Meal**

"_Don't tell me you're afraid." Beast Boy growled._

"_I'm not afraid but, we have work to do. I want this guy as badly as you do but we need to get to fix the security." Robin said._

"_Not without me." a low voice coughed. They turned._

"_Cyborg!" they all shouted in unison._

"The one and only." He replied, his voice strained a bit.

"Are you okay?" Starfire asked as they swarmed his infirmary bed.

"I'll be fine…I think. I just need to do some repairs." Cyborg sighed.

"I saw your breaks were cut. What happened?" Robin asked.

"I honestly don't know. I was just in traffic and when I got to a red light I noticed the breaks weren't working. I couldn't stop the car or slow down, it started speeding up." Cyborg explained. "I didn't want to hit anyone or cause an accident so I got out of traffic. There was no way for me to figure out what was wrong. I knew I didn't have time to wait for it to run out of gas so I stopped it the only way I knew how."

"You should have called us. We could have helped you." Robin said.

"I do not call and drive. Especially when the car is out of control." Cyborg argued.

"…We got the stuff for the security upgrade. Norf is the one who did it. He left letters on the R-Cycle while we were in the store. It was revenge." Robin sighed, handing the letters to Cyborg who gave a low audible sigh after scanning the content quickly.

"We're ganna get this guy Cy. No one gets away with messing with a titan." Beast Boy growled.

"First friend Robin…and now you…we will crush this Norf." Starfire agreed.

As Raven listened to the conversation her stomach churned. This was all her fault. If she hadn't attracted this freaks attention her friends would not be in danger…they would not be hurt. She was going to kill Norf if she ever found him. She didn't know who he was or what he was packing, but she was going to kill him. It was only a matter of time before he showed himself or before they found him. He had said he'd be coming for her right? And he was under the sad delusion that she loved him. He probably just expected her to walk out the front door with him. She wouldn't put it past him. She could be ready. She could have a plan.

"Cyborg while you repair yourself, why don't we start the security upgrade." Robin said.

"Good idea man, but first do another sweep of the tower. I want to make sure we got everything out so he can't figure out my new system." Cyborg explained.

"Alright. Beast Boy, Starfire and I will do it. Beast Boy, I want you under every rock of the perimeter, in every crack and nook. You can get to places we can't and see things we can't. Communicators on, call if you have any trouble." Robin ordered.

"My pleasure." Beast Boy agreed.

"What about me?" Raven asked quickly as they prepared to walk out the door.

"Stay with Cyborg. Try to remember if you may have met this guy before." Robin said.

"I don't think I have." I said.

"He's been at most of the missions we have from the last nine months. If he didn't appear at the beginning of them, he was there by the end. You must have seen him before, maybe he even introduced himself once. I can't believe someone who'd break into the tower and assault two titans was too shy to introduce himself to you." Robin explained. "It just doesn't make sense."

"Does anything this guy does make sense?" Cyborg asked.

"That's not the point. Just do it. Besides, I don't want Cyborg alone right now. One of us has to stay." Robin explained.

"…Fine." Raven sighed. She did not like this one bit. They got to go and make sure the tour was safe while she tried to dig through her memory. She really doubted she'd met Norf before. How could she meet a crazy stalker boy like him and not know it? Not sense it about him somehow? She was getting a headache.

"Can I help you at all?" Raven asked Cyborg once the others had left the room.

"Just go into that drawer over there and hand me the tool box in it." Cyborg said pointing to a cabinet. She followed his request and opened the drawer, finding a blue metal tool box inside. Reaching in she handed it to him and he grabbed it quickly, eager to repair the damage done.

"I'm sorry about what happened." Raven said pulling up a chair to his infirmary bed.

"Why? Not your fault some jerk messed with my baby." Cyborg shrugged.

"He wouldn't have bothered you if he wasn't stalking me." Raven said. The words made her shiver when she said them aloud. She had a stalker…it was not a good feeling. Most girls dreamed of having boyfriends with such devotion. Someone who would kill to be with them…Raven was not one of those girls. No, not in a million years did she want anyone like Norf in her life. And when she found out who he was, she was going to take him out of it.

"It ain't your fault. I'm just sorry this freak is causing you problems." Cyborg said. "And when we find this guy. I'm ganna make him pay for all of this mess."

Raven gave him a small smile. He grinned back. She was relieved that her friends were as eager to stop this nut case as she was. And relieved that he wasn't mad…that he didn't blame her for his accident. She knew how much his car meant to him and he could have lost his life…

Cyborg concentrated on his repairs and Raven sat idle for a few minutes. Was it really possible that she could have met Norf? She still didn't think so but, regardless she had to at least honor Robin's request. She scanned the depths of her memory, recent battles. Were there any civilians that just kept showing up in the background? Anyone at the mall who seemed to be looking at her more than any other shopper? No, no, no! No one stood out…and perhaps that's why he was getting away with everything thus far, because he didn't stand out. He must appear completely normal…that or he really did have powers and was able to become invisible. Regardless, she was not going to be able to figure out who he was using her memory.

It was several hours later when Robin, Starfire and Beast Boy returned from scanning the tower. They returned with ten more of the little bugs and Robin was confident they had gotten all of them. He placed them with the others in a black box.

"I'm going to take these to a safe spot out of the tower until we can figure out who made them. We need to concentrate on security updates right now." Robin said. "Cyborg, are you done repairing yourself?"

"Yeah, the damage was a little less extensive than I thought." He replied.

"You guys get started on the revamp. I'll be back with some food after I get these put away." Robin ordered.

"Check the R-Cycle before you leave." Starfire said.

"Are you sure you should go alone?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah, I want the security finished as soon as possible. If anything even looks suspicious I'll call." Robin nodded, agreeing with their concerns.

"Please be careful." Starfire said.

"Don't worry Star, I'll be fine." Robin smiled before exiting.

"Let's get to work guys." Cyborg said before dishing out orders.

_October 11th_

The titans had worked roughly all night completing the tower upgrade. All the security alarm systems, cameras and passwords had been replaced. Cyborg rewrote the security program protecting their computers and files. The titans were now certain that there wouldn't be another breech in tower security.

It was eleven a.m. when Raven woke up at the sound of the alarm. She cringed, sore from the work of the previous night and from the battle when Mammoth had slammed her into the wall. She'd never had a chance to heal after everything that had happened to Cyborg and the tower security. Groaning she rose and hurried to the main room. She wondered why crime couldn't take just one day off? Was it really necessary to cause havoc and chaos every single day? She sighed. Her friends appeared in the main room shortly after, showing equal enthusiasm for whatever villain had decided to disturb them from the few hours of sleep they'd managed to grab.

It was Mumbo, robbing another bank.

"Titans Go." Robin said. Mumbo was going to get his ass kicked. As far as Raven was concerned he did not deserve mercy. She was sore, tired and her patience waned thin after the last few days. She levitated, following the other titans to the bank where Mumbo thought he might escape with a bag full of riches. They got there just as he was about to make his exit.

"Stop right there." Robin said.

"You think words are going to stop me boy blunder?" Mumbo laughed. Robin didn't even reply, he just threw a birderang at the villain who dodged it easily. The titans took that as their cue to go and arrest the villain. Starfire shot star bolts at him and Cyborg used his cannon. The villain dodged these attempts and ran. Beast Boy followed close behind in cheetah form, Robin ran. They chased him into an alley where they cornered him. He tried to jump the wall but when it failed he turned to face them.

"The show must go on." He smiled moving his wand. Raven teleported behind him and snatched it, snapping it in half. "No! What have you done! My wand."

"Cyborg cuff him." Robin said.

"You got it man." Cyborg agreed.

"I will fetch the authorities." Starfire said before flying off. She returned minutes later and sirens followed. The police took mumbo and Robin gave a brief statement.

"Since we're already up anyone want to grab some breakfast?" Robin asked.

"Sure, there's an awesome pancake house not far from here." Cyborg said.

"Sounds good." Robin nodded.

"Let's go!" Beast Boy smiled.

"Yes, let us celebrate." Starfire grinned. The group walked to the car Cyborg had rented to replace the T-Car while it was under repair, taking their usual places. Raven was squished between Starfire and Beast Boy while Cyborg drove and Robin took shotgun. The overall drive was about five minutes. The team was pretty quiet, Robin hadn't had his morning coffee yet, Raven was in desperate need of a cup of tea. Beast Boy and Cyborg were still tired as well. Cyborg would need to return to the tower soon to recharge his battery, as he hadn't finished. Even Starfire the resident morning person was still fatigued. Their silence was welcome by the entire group.

When they arrived at the restaurant the titans exited the car quickly. It was just after lunch time and thus the breakfast joint wasn't very crowded. It was a homely place, wood floors, a bar with the news playing quietly where a waitress stood ready to refill anyone's coffee. It was self-seating and thus the titans took a booth and waited for someone to come and take their order. It didn't take long. A brunette in a white pink button down top and jeans walked over.

"Well if it ain't the Teen Titans. I'm Daisy, I'll be your waitress today." she smiled handing them all menu's. "We just saw you on the news not five minutes ago."

"Really?" Beast Boy asked, perking up already.

"Yup, sure did. They said you got that magician creep in just a couple of minutes. What can I get ya started with?" she asked.

"Coffee." Robin said.

"Tea." Raven added.

"Orange juice." Beast Boy smiled.

"I'll have the same." Cyborg nodded.

"And I will have the yellow substance, mustard." Starfire grinned.

"haha, you're so funny." Daisy laughed.

"She's not kidding." Robin smiled.

"…Okay. I'll be right back." Daisy said, her brows raised.

"Did I say something wrong?" Starfire asked.

"No Star." Robin smiled. The team looked at the menu carefully selecting their choices and Daisy returned shortly with their drinks, handing them out and eyeing Starfire carefully, clearly still confused.

"You ready to order?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'll have the bacon, sausage and eggs and some pancakes." Cyborg ordered.

"I'll have the same." Robin said handing her his menu.

"I will have the French toast with eggs." Starfire smiled.

"Waffles with hash browns." Beast Boy said.

"And for you hun?" The waitress asked looking at Raven.

"Just dry toast." Raven replied handing the woman her menu.

"That's all you're ganna eat?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yeah, aren't you hungry?" Cyborg asked. Raven sent them both death glares which was all the convincing they needed to drop the conversation. She was tired and wary after the last few days and thus it was no wonder she had no appetite. If the others wanted to pig out and eat their weight in food that was their prerogative. The thought of eating that much food made her sick. And she was still wary that her "fan" might be lurking somewhere nearby. That he had managed to follow her somehow. It wasn't that she was afraid of him as much as she dreaded what he might do next. She hated surprises. Especially grim ones.

"I thought we might have a training session this evening." Robin suggested.

"Dude! We're exhausted." Beast Boy complained.

"I know Beast Boy but, crime doesn't care if we're exhausted. We've got to be in tip top shape all the time." Robin said. "And I did say tonight. When we get back to the tower as long as there are no emergencies I think you should all rest."

"I'm going to check on the security again just to make sure everything held up." Cyborg said.

"Good plan. I'll help you." Robin nodded.

"Friend Raven, do you wish to do the hanging out?" Starfire asked. Raven mentally groaned. As much as she loved Starfire all she wanted to do was crawl back in bed and go back to sleep when they returned to the tower, but she wouldn't refuse Starfire's request. The girl had been putting up with a lot thanks to her little problem and so she owed it to the girl.

"Sure Star. For a little while." Raven said, choosing her words with care.

"Maybe after you check the security we can play some game station?" Beast Boy asked Cyborg.

"You know it." Cyborg grinned.

"What will you do Robin?" Starfire asked.

"We still have to figure out who Norf is." Robin said.

"Oh yea, those bugs. I need to figure out who put them there." Cyborg said.

"I'll help. But we'll do it outside the tower." Robin said.

"Where did you have in mind?" Cyborg asked.

"I thought we could set a temporary station up somewhere in town." Robin shrugged.

"Sounds like a plan." Cyborg nodded as Daisy returned with a tray and another waitress behind her. They handed out the food.

"You guys enjoy." Daisy smiled.

"Thanks." The titans replied and ate quietly enjoying their food.

The Titans were about half done with their meal when Beast Boy began to twitch profusely. Cyborg put his fork down and looked at the green titan who stared back in horror. It was only a few seconds of silence later that he began having serious muscle spasms causing him to knock things on the table over and his back began to arch. He fell from the booth onto the floor where he laid, continuing to twitch and have muscle spasms. The other titans rose to help him immediately surrounding him.

"Beast Boy!" they shouted.

"Call an ambulance; we've got a titan down!" Robin ordered Daisy who had run over. "Cyborg what's wrong with him?"

"I don't know." Cyborg said.

Cyborg kneeled next to Beast Boy who was in obvious pain and unable to speak but he couldn't figure it out. His scanners didn't pick anything up.

"Raven, can you heal him?" Robin asked.

"I can try." She said and she bent down next to him, closing her eyes to concentrate. After a few moments of nothing she shook her head. "I don't know what the problem is…I can't heal him if I don't know what to look for." She rose and moved away frowning at her friend.

The ambulance arrived only moments later. Cyborg rode with the paramedics who wasted no time getting him in the ambulance and Robin took the keys for the rental car. Starfire road shotgun and Raven in the back as they silently sped to meet up at the hospital with their friends. When they arrived Cyborg was in the waiting room pacing in front of the reception desk.

"Do they know what's wrong with him?" Robin asked, his voice filled with worry.

"Not yet. But they're checking for poisons…" Cyborg said.

"…Norf." Robin said.

"It has to be." Raven agreed, her usual monotone voice wavering slightly. Cyborg put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not your fault." He said. She removed his hand instantly. The gesture was supposed to be comforting but it didn't make her feel any better. Beast Boy could die.

"We can't wait around here though. We need to find this guy before he does anything else. Starfire, Raven you stay here and wait for news on Beast Boy. Call us immediately if they tell you anything. Cyborg and I are going to go figure out where the bugs came from."

"Be careful." Starfire said. The male titans nodded and walked out the hospital door. Raven sighed. If she had meant to kill Norf before she meant to do more to him now. Death was not punishment enough for the grief he had caused her and her friends. He had hurt three of the five titans. Three of her friends...there would be hell to pay. Literally.


	13. Hospital Bed Woes

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.**

**Chapter Thirteen – Hospital Bed Woes**

Robin paced the small lab they had set up in one of Jump Cities many abandoned warehouses. Cyborg was sitting at a desk looking at one of the bugs under a microscope. He'd already been through a rather large pile of the small vile things and found no abnormalities among them. They were all the same generic microscopic spying device. What they needed was a signature, something to point them in the direction of their creator, surely one of them had to host it? Cyborg couldn't imagine a cyber techie who didn't want credit for his work. But unfortunately Cyborg wasn't finding anything.

"Anything?" Robin asked for the umpteenth time.

"No man! I'll tell you when I got something." Cyborg groaned. "And I just got something." The tin man suddenly grinned.

"What is it?" Robin asked anxiously, moving to stand behind his fellow titan.

"See this little black dot here?" Cyborg asked.

"No…" Robin said.

"Hold on." Cyborg sighed shifting the bug a bit.

"I see it." Robin shrugged. "What does it mean Cy?"

"When I zoom in it turns out it's not a dot. It's a little tiny G." Cyborg smiled.

"Which means…" Robin said his frown slowly turning into a grin.

"Know any techno geek villains whose names start with G?" Cyborg asked.

"Just one." Robin nodded.

* * *

Raven sat in the emergency room chair drumming her fingers on her lap silently. In front of her Starfire paced back and forth just as anxious for news of their friend. Raven wanted news that he was okay…for him to walk out of one of those doors and laugh like it had all been one of his not so funny pranks. She knew that was simply a dream though. She had seen the look of terror in his eyes as he lay in pain on the restaurant floor. At this point Raven thought no news was probably good news. No news was better than knowing her friend might be dead.

She heard a crack and looked up. One of the lights had burst, making the already dreary ER darker and if such a thing were possible, even more somber. She sighed before taking in a few deep breaths. She needed to calm herself. Beast Boy was going to be fine. It was Beast Boy…he was a fighter. And he wasn't going to let Norf be the one to take him down. No, he would survive. She couldn't allow herself to even believe the possibility that he might not make it…

Another loud crack pierced the noisy emergency room followed by some muffled whispering. Raven rose, she needed some air. There were too many people here and she couldn't get a grip on her emotions.

"Starfire." She said, grabbing the red head's attention.

"Yes?" Starfire asked the worry in her voice all too clear.

"I'm going to go outside and get some air." Raven informed her fellow female titan.

"I shall accompany you." Starfire replied.

"No, stay here. What if one of the doctors comes?" Raven asked.

"Yes but…you should not be alone." Starfire said.

"I'll be fine. I have my communicator." Raven argued.

"Friend Raven…I do not think it is wise." Starfire replied, obviously putting her foot down.

"I need to get out of here." Raven wasn't going to continue this argument much longer. She needed some space. Some silence and she wasn't going to get it here. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Titans?" the two glanced over at a pretty red headed woman. Clad in white lab coat, clipboard in hand it was obvious she was part of the medical staff. "I'm Dr. Grey."

"Is friend Beast Boy alright?" Starfire asked quickly, her attention instantly leaving Raven and focusing on the doctor. Raven also gave up the argument for the moment.

"He's alright…for now. He's still in critical condition but we've figured out what was wrong. We found traces of strychnine in his system. It's a type of poison, you can find it in things like rodent control products. It appears to have been a rather large dosage though…" Dr. Grey announced.

"Is there a cure?" Starfire asked anxiously.

"There is no real antidote however; if we can keep him functioning it should leave his system within the next twenty to thirty hours." Dr. Grey said.

"So there is hope?" Starfire asked.

"Yes. We've got him on a respirator, we're watching him for any vital organ failures and we've got him on medications to help with the muscle spasms and to prevent seizures." Dr. Grey explained.

"How did it get in his system?" Raven asked. This was the big question. All the titans had eaten at the restaurant and only Beast Boy was sick so it couldn't have been in the food right? No one had come in during the time they had sat down save for one elderly couple. She would have noticed…because she was watching incase _he_ showed up. She really doubted the seemingly happily married elderly man was Norf.

"It's tasteless, colorless and odorless. We think it was in his food. You did say you just came from a restaurant." Dr. Grey replied. Raven could hardly believe it…how had Norf gotten in? She'd been watching…she needed to check the restaurants security. Not that she thought it would do her any good. Norf had done a pretty amazing job of staying off tape when it came to attacking the titans. They still didn't know how he'd gotten into the tower. Still…she would question the restaurant staff. Maybe they had seen something.

"May we see him?" Starfire asked.

"Only for a few minutes. He really needs his rest." Dr. Grey nodded. The girl's followed Dr. Grey in haste, anxious to see their friend. When they got there however Raven wished she'd stayed in the lobby.

Beast Boy was laying on a hospital bed, his uniform gone replaced with a white and blue spotted hospital gown with a respirator and IV to complete the look. The worst part was he was conscious. When the girls walked up he looked up at them with the saddest eyes she'd ever seen. She reached out to touch his hand but realizing what she would be doing she immediately retracted it. That was how he had gotten into this mess…or part of the how anyway. She wasn't about to add to his misery. Starfire grabbed his hand instead, oblivious to her turmoil.

"Friend Beast Boy, you must be strong. You are going to make it." Starfire said.

"I can't use my healing powers to take the poison out of you, but I'll stay here incase anything else happens." Raven informed him. She wasn't really sure she could do anything if he did have organ failure or something went wrong but, she would certainly try. She was not going to just sit back and watch her friend die.

"Friend Robin and Cyborg have gone to see if they can figure out where the bugs came from." Starfire told him.

"We're ninety-nine percent sure Norf did this…I'm sorry." Raven said. Beast Boy's eyes went from sad to angry in a matter of seconds. His brow furrowed and she could almost see the kill in them. He wanted Norf dead almost as badly as she did. "Don't worry. We're going to find him."

"Times up guys," a nurse said walking in. She did not look happy to see them, and who would look happy to see a titan in the hospital? Starfire and Raven nodded and left the room.

"I will contact Robin." Starfire said. Raven nodded. Better Starfire do it than her. She didn't doubt calling another titan on her communicator could result in another death sentence for one of her friends. Norf had to be more than a little delusional.

"Friend Robin, we have discovered what was wrong with friend Beast Boy. The doctor said he would probably be okay." Starfire said.

"Good Star." Robin replied. "We found out who made the bugs."

"Who?" Raven asked moving closer to Starfire to look into the screen with her.


	14. Q & A

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Teen Titans.

**Chapter Fourteen – Q & A**

_"Friend Robin, we have discovered what was wrong with friend Beast Boy. The doctor said he would probably be okay." Starfire said._

_"Good Star." Robin replied. "We found out who made the bugs."_

_"Who?" Raven asked moving closer to Starfire to look into the screen with her._

"Gizmo. We're going down to the prison to ask him some questions." Robin explained.

"Gizmo is the one who hurt friend Beast Boy!" Starfire asked outraged.

"Not unless he has some lackeys helping him. He's been in prison remember?" Robin asked.

"I'll meet you there." Raven said. She was not going to stand and wait for Robin and Cyborg to get answers. This was her problem and she was going to help deal with it. She couldn't do anything for Beast Boy but she could make Gizmo talk.

"No, stay with Starfire." Robin disagreed.

"I can't do anything for Beast Boy. I'm not going to sit here and be useless. I want to hear what the little creep has to say with my own ears." Raven said. She moved away from Starfire. "Starfire, call me immediately if anything happens to Beast Boy. I'll come back." And with that she ran outside and levitated towards the prison before anyone could protest. Gizmo...how had they not thought to question him before? He was tech savvy and he had hacked Cyborgs body. If he could do that, Tower security wasn't likely too difficult. Hell, the H.I.V.E. _had_ managed to get into the tower the first time they met the Titans. Was he Norf? No, he couldn't be because if he was Norf than who had poisoned Beast Boy? And Gizmo had been in some of the fights were the shadow on the taped appeared. So that ruled him out as a suspect unless he was just hiring someone to be her stalker. That made more sense than someone actually being infatuated with her to the point of murder…didn't it? She hoped so. That was a far more friendly outcome than there being a real psychopath out there. But for nine months? And only just now choosing to attack the titans?...Raven sighed. This was giving her a headache. She needed answers.

Upon arrival at the prison she opened her communicator and risked a call to Robin. If Norf was watching he probably had bigger things to worry about than her calling her teammate. No, if he was watching he was probably worried about Gizmo giving them answers…if he wasn't Gizmo. She called Robin.

"Where are you?" he asked, obviously angry she'd disobeyed orders.

"At the prison. Where are you?" she asked.

"Five minutes away. Wait for us before going to see him." he said.

"Fine." She agreed turning her communicator off and going inside. The room was dim. There were a few rows of chairs and a TV playing some talk show she wasn't particularly interested in. A few people sat waiting for their turn to visit an inmate, they stared at her. They were probably surprised to see a Titan not dropping off a new criminal hanging out near a prison. She took a seat and waited for her friends to arrive. There was a line to speak to the receptionist who was a buff looking woman in uniform behind a glass screened counter but, that didn't matter. They were the titans and they would be able to cut all of the people in line. She'd leave that to Robin though. He was better at dealing with people, especially the local law enforcement. They liked the titans and appreciated their help so they wouldn't deny her request, but they defiantly preferred dealing with Robin. He was the closest to them, human. She could save them a hundred times but they'd never be as comfortable with her as they were around him because of her powers and some-what strange appearance. It was a truth she had come to live with.

Robin and Cyborg entered the prison in about five minutes as promised. Robin didn't look happy, but he knew he wasn't going to change her mind and so instead of wasting time arguing he went up to the counter. The people in line moved for him without complaint or question, though they did whisper amongst themselves.

"You really think this is a good idea?" Cyborg asked her as she stood up and made her way over with him to the counter.

"I can't just sit at the hospital and not do anything." She said as Robin turned to face them.

"They're going to put him in the interrogation room for us." Robin said in a way that made her think they had done them a favor. And they probably had. Most of the people here were going in a big room that was more like a cafeteria set up with tables. The prisoners would have their hands cuffed behind their backs and would sit on one side and their visitor on the other forbidden to touch in any way shape or form. That was not the ideal place to do an interrogation, especially not something concerning such a private matter like stalking a titan. It was also a bit embarrassing to admit that someone had managed to do all that damage to the Titans. They were notorious for their victories. Even if they lost a battle they always found a way to get the villain. For someone to just come in, break into their tower, spy on them night and day and take them down one by one…it was an impressive feat. One that made the titans look bad.

They waited silent by the door to enter the inner prison walls. Robin was deep in thought, probably strategizing on how he would get Gizmo to talk. He wasn't likely to give up the information easily. What did he have to gain by it? He was already in prison and Robin would never promise to get a sentence lightened. Cyborg too was strategizing. She drummed her fingers impatiently on her leg. After what seemed like years the door finally beeped and a guard motioned them in. They went through the metal detector and it beeped in alarm to their weapons and all Cyborg's metal parts but, the guard didn't bother trying to search them. Whatever they were packing was fine as far as he was concerned. He led them through another door and down a hall, they took a right and entered a dual room separated by half a wall of cement and half a wall of glass that likely appeared to be a mirror on the other side. One half of the room was dim and the other half was well lit. Gizmo sat in the other side of the room where it was bright. His tiny arms handcuffed behind him to the chair and he did not look happy.

"I'll go in. You two watch and see if you can get anything off his body language." Robin said. "I'll come back if I need you." And with that he entered the other room leaving Cyborg, Raven and the guard who had retrieved them to listen and watch.

"What do you want crud muncher?" Gizmo spat as Robin came in pulling up a chair.

"I want to know what you have to do with this." Robin said putting a bug on the table and cutting to the chase. It wasn't his usual interrogation style. Normally he would have asked a few questions before getting to the point but there wasn't time. They needed to figure things out and get Norf off the streets before anyone else got hurt. Gizmo gasped, appearing worried or agitated for a moment before furrowing his brows.

"What would I know about that?" Gizmo asked.

"You made it. So I assume you had a reason?" Robin said putting it back in his pocket.

"I make a lot of stuff." Gizmo said. "Doesn't mean I know where it goes."

"I think you know where this went and I think you better tell me." Robin said.

"Or what? You ganna lighten my sentence if I tell you?" Gizmo laughed. "Like I won't be out of here in a day?" Gizmo grinned. Robin frowned. He knew Gizmo was right. They'd be back on the streets in a few days max. Either because they broke out or one of the faculty at their school would find a loophole. Someone hadn't read them their rights or something along those lines. It always happened. Every single time. Which irked Robin to no avail, but he couldn't do much about it. Not yet.

"Whoever sent these bugs seems to be involved in some pretty big crimes. I don't think you'll be out of here in a few decades. If you don't tell me who you made this for and how it got into the tower." Robin said.

"You think you're scaring me?" Gizmo laughed.

"Tell me who you made this for." Robin said.

"I ain't telling you nothing you snot munching dirt bag." Gizmo said.

Behind the glass Raven watched in annoyance as Gizmo continued to evade answering Robin's questions. She wanted to rip his throat out, though she doubted it would help them get answers. She tapped her foot impatiently waiting for Robins methods to work and seeing only failure. Cyborg looked almost equally impatient. Whoever had gotten those bugs from Gizmo had hurt his best friend and nearly gotten him killed. He wanted answers just as badly as she did.

"How many times do I gotta tell you I'm not ganna talk?" Gizmo asked, obviously annoyed. "Guards! I want to go back to my cell! Guards?"

Robin asked him a few more times but he only persisted to call for guards rather than say anything else. By the seventh time Robin asked Raven had, had enough. She was done. Gizmo was going to talk, or he was going to get hurt. She burst through the door before Cyborg could realize what was happening and stop her. Robin and Gizmo were equally shocked by her appearance. She slammed the door shut behind her and eyes glowing a faint red she approached Gizmo. She banged her hands on the table, hitting it so hard the sound alone made him wince.

"Who did you make those bugs for?" she asked. Her voice obviously loaded with a threat. He gulped, realizing she wasn't going to be as nice as Robin had been.

"I'm not telling you anything." He said trying to sound sure and angry as before but, his voice cracked a little.

"Raven." Robin said, by his tone she could tell it was his way of urging her to go back into the other room. She shot him a glare and that shut him up for the moment. There weren't a lot of people dumb enough to mess with an angry Raven.

"I'm sick and tired of your games. You're going to tell me who you made them for and you're going to tell me now." She hissed. Her eyes glowing a darker red with every word, by the end of her speech four narrow eyes stared at him. Gizmo gasped, having never seen the female titan like this before. Still, he didn't say anything. He made a gesture by tightening his lips that made it all too clear what he wanted to say. She picked him up by the collar of his shirt, chair and all and threw him across the room. He hit the wall hard and fell with the chair on top of him.

"Raven!" Robin seemed unable to believe his teammates behavior. She ignored him and picked Gizmo up by his shirt again.

"Tell me who you made them for." She ordered again. He looked frightened. And she couldn't help but think that it was a good thing. Robin obviously wasn't scaring him enough and he was a villain. This was how he made other people feel every day, intimidated. He deserved a little taste of his own medicine and she needed answers. If he didn't want to give them than she wasn't going to just go home and cry about it. He was going to give it up or he was going to get hurt. He had helped someone hurt her friends.

"No." he said again. She used her powers to throw the chair across the room again. He screamed as it hit the wall with a loud crash. She picked him up again.

"Tell me who you made them for." She hissed.

"I can't." he said. And with that she used her powers to bend the seat of the chair towards the back of the chair, as if it were a fold up chair, crushing him. He yelled out in pain. "Stop! Stop! I'll tell you." He said. She didn't unfold the chair but she didn't let it go any further. "I don't know his name. He wouldn't give me one. I've never even seen him. He found me online. He told me he was going to get rid of one of the titans. He asked me to make something small so he could monitor the inside of the tower. They're remote controlled so they were easy to get in without needing to be near the tower. He paid me from a Swiss bank account. Twenty thousand dollars all in advanced." Gizmo explained.

"How did he find you online?" Robin asked.

"How should I know? He just sent me an e-mail. I asked how he got it, but he wouldn't say." Gizmo answered quickly as the chair tightened a bit.

"What else did he ask you to do?" Robin asked.

"He asked me to re-route some of the city power a couple days ago, small enough to make no major blackouts but, enough energy to surge the tower with some power for a minute to create a small window of opportunity to get in and then out of the tower by overloading the system for a few seconds." Gizmo said.

"Did he tell you anything you could ID him with?" Robin asked.

"No. I tried to trace him and find him but I got nothing on the bank account and the e-mail came from somewhere hacked. Every time I tried to trace him I got a new IP address always at least two hundred miles apart, sometimes more." Gizmo explained.

"Where did you send the bugs to? Or how did he pick them up?" Robin questioned.

"I installed them all in the tower for him as part of the deal. All I had to do was get them close enough and anytime the door or a window opened they could crawl right in. The remote control isn't a physical remote. It's just software. I uploaded it to a website and he downloaded it." Gizmo explained.

"I want all the e-mails, a link to the website with the software and the receipt for the money." Robin said.

"Good-luck." Gizmo laughed. The chair crushed him a bit more causing him to cry out in pain. "No! I mean my computer got destroyed. I left it sitting on the couch and Mammoth sat on it. I deleted the e-mails from my account, but I had saved copies on my computer. And a copy of the receipt. Just as a record in case he tried anything. The software was deleted on the website. The only extra copy aside from what he has was on my computer."

"You didn't make a backup copy?" Robin raised a brow, skeptical.

"I didn't have time. It took so long to make it and I had other things to do to." He shrugged.

"When did he ask you to do all this?" Robin asked.

"About four months ago. It took two months to finish making all the bugs and program the software." He replied.

"If you know anything else better say it now." Robin ordered.

"I don't. I swear." Gizmo pleaded. Robin waited a moment before looking at Raven.

"Let him go." Robin ordered. She waited another moment, looking at the villain sternly before deciding he had probably told them everything. She dropped him on the floor and they left the room.

"I thought I told you to wait here?" Robin was angry and it was understandable. She paused before replying taking a few calming deep breaths to gain control over herself and her emotions before replying.

"I'm sorry…" she said. In all honesty she was sorry she had let her emotions get the better of her but, at the same time if she hadn't they might not have gotten the information. Obviously Robin's methods hadn't been working.

"We can argue about this later. Why don't we confirm the story with Mammoth and Jinx." Victor said.

"Good plan." Robin nodded. "But this time, you stay put." She nodded in agreement. Gizmo was replaced by Mammoth first and then Jinx. It had been true about Gizmo's laptop but, the other two apparently hadn't known about his bug making business and seemed outraged when they found out he hadn't shared his money with them. The titans left the prison and stood outside for a moment. Robin pulled out his communicator to let Starfire know they were headed back to the hospital. He waited patiently for her to answer but she didn't. He tried again but nothing.

"I think Starfire might be in trouble." Robin said, his voice urgent. Robin hopped on his R-Cycle and sped away. Raven was just about to levitate when Cyborg grabbed her arm.

"You shouldn't be heading out alone right now." Cyborg said pointing to their rented car. "Let's go." Raven followed him. She was too worried about Starfire to really care how she got there and due to her recent loss of self-control it was probably best not to use her powers until after she could meditate. They sped towards the hospital.


	15. The Kind Nurse

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Teen Titans.

**Chapter Fifteen – The Kind Nurse**

Starfire paced the ER's waiting room anxiously. Raven and the others had gone to the prison and she'd been left behind to make sure Beast Boy remained stable. Worry plagued her, unyielding to her most optimistic and hopeful thoughts. Raven had been acting out of character. Her powers had not quite been under control, the cracked ceiling light was proof of that. And the way she just bolted out of the room? And Beast Boy…poor Beast Boy. He looked nothing like his former glory. He was weak and his usual cheerful expression replaced with misery. Was there truly nothing she could do to help? Sighing, a gesture she wasn't accustomed to she sat down and rested her head on her hands. There had to be something she could do to help cheer Beast Boy up. To raise his spirits…but what?

"Excuse me, miss. You're Starfire of the Teen Titans right?" a shrill and nasal voice asked. Starfire looked up to see a nurse looking down at her. She had a mask over her face that a few of the sick patients in the ER were wearing to prevent the spreading of germs, or was it to prevent catching any? She wasn't sure but, it was a mask. Their skin was pale and blond curls peaked out from a nurse's hat. She was decked out in a pair of blue scrubs and white latex gloves. In her hands was a bouquet of flowers.

"Yes, how may I assist you?" Starfire asked curiously.

"A girl came to give these to Beast Boy but left them with me when I told her no visitors. You look awfully worried. Would you like to go see him for just a minute and give them to him?" the women asked. Starfire's smile lit up and then she frowned.

"What did the girl look like?" Starfire asked. She wasn't going to be taken for a fool. Norf could have sent the flowers and then she could be giving Beast Boy something harmful.

"She had pretty blond hair, blue eyes, but she didn't give me a name. A real pretty young lady though." The nurse said. Starfire took the flowers and looked them over. They appeared harmless and they smelled nice. Not to mention they were colorful. "Would you like to deliver them or should I throw them away?"

"No. I will take them." Starfire agreed getting up. She followed the nurse to her friend's room.

"Oh just a moment." The Nurse said as they reached the door, before going inside. "Do you have a cell phone or anything on you? They're not allowed in the hospital rooms."

"I only have my communicator." Starfire answered.

"Why don't I wait out here and hold it for you? You'll only need a moment to deliver the flowers so I can wait. And if it rings or something I can call for you." The Nurse offered. Starfire smiled.

"That is most kind of you but, I should not leave my communicator unattended." Starfire said.

"Then you can't see your friend. Hospital policy." The nurse said.

"But we entered with our communicators before." Starfire frowned.

"That doctor is new at this hospital. She's not familiar with all our policies yet." The Nurse sighed. "It'll only take you two minutes and your friend is looking really depressed. I'd hate to see him lose hope." Starfire's face fell. She didn't want Beast Boy to be sad. The flowers would cheer him up right? But her communicator…

"I suppose for a moment you can hold on to it." Starfire agreed handing it to the women.

"Go on in, but only for a moment. I'll be right here." The Nurse said. Starfire went into the room and put the flowers on the night table next to Beast Boy. He still looked like he was miserable.

"A fan brought these for you. A pretty girl." Starfire smiled. "I thought they might brighten your room. I must go now, but I will see if Cyborg and Robin can come see you when they return. They should be back soon. Get well friend." And with that Starfire went outside back into the hall to get her communicator back. Only the nurse wasn't there. She looked up and down the hall but the nurse was gone.

Perhaps someone had needed her help with an emergency and she ran off. The receptionist might know. Sighing for the second time in the last twenty minutes, Starfire went back to the ER receptionist, but just as she got back into the ER's waiting room the front doors burst open and Robin appeared. He scanned the room and their eyes met, he hurried over to her before she could even smile.

"Starfire! You're okay?" he asked.

"Yes, why would I not be?" Starfire asked.

"You didn't answer your communicator." Robin replied. "We thought maybe..."

"I am fine however, my communicator must be located." Starfire said.


	16. Things Could Not Possibly Get Worse

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Teen Titans.

**Chapter Sixteen – Things could not possibly get worse.**

**Raven**

Raven fidgeted next to Cyborg as Starfire re-explained what she had already told Robin about how the fake nurse; whom they all believed to be Norf, had stolen her communicator. Angry didn't describe Starfire at that moment, despite her own frustration and anxiety she wondered how Starfire was even able to speak in such a strong clear voice. The girl was fuming, her fists in tight balls perfect for hitting a certain someone with.

"So what's the plan?" Cyborg asked.

"We'll track him with our communicators." Robin explained. "I want you and Raven to wait at the tower while Starfire and I go after him."

"What?" Raven asked. This was her problem, she was the one who should confront Norf.

"You're his target and given who we're dealing with and what he's already done it'll be safer for you to go to the tower." said Robin.

"You have to promise to call if you need back-up." Cyborg said.

"We will." Robin agreed.

"I'm coming." Raven said, her voice raising slightly.

"We don't have time for this. The longer we argue about it the farther away he gets. Just go back to the tower and stay with Cyborg." Robin argued. "Do us all a favor and stay safe."

"We do not wish to put you in danger." Starfire agreed. Raven sighed, she knew they meant well…and maybe they were right. Still…letting them run straight into danger without her...?

"Fine." She sighed in defeat.

"Starfire, let's go." Robin said not wasting any more time. The two of them were out of the ER before the other two could even say good-bye.

"Let's get back to the tower." Cyborg said. "I need to recharge soon." They headed towards the exit. Raven frowned, she had a bad feeling about…she broke her train of thought as an older man ran into her, brushing her shoulder with his and knocking her down. He stumbled back a step and his eyes widened. He raised a hand to cover his mouth but it was too late. Brown, chunky vomit splattered all over her chest. She automatically raised a hand to cover her own mouth, nearly throwing up herself from disgust. In that same instant he threw up a second time, adding a new layer of spew to her uniform before covering his mouth and running to the bathroom, followed by an older woman. She sat there for a moment, unmoving, fresh vomit dripping to the floor, still shocked as to how this could have happened. Could nothing go right?

"I'm so sorry. Come with me, we'll clean you up!" The receptionist yelled from her desk before running over. Still too shocked by the incident to respond verbally, she simply allowed the woman to grab her wrist and help her up. She led her away towards the restroom. "Someone get a mop in here!"

The restroom wasn't far, only a few yards away. The woman pushed the door open and Raven followed her inside. She let go of her arm and grabbed a few paper towels from the dispenser, wetting them a little. Then she began wiping off the vomit.

"I'm sorry, you guys are under enough stress right now with your friend in the hospital without patients throwing up on you." The nurse said. Raven grabbed her by the wrist.

"Thank-you. I appreciate the help, but I'll take it from here." She said, taking the paper towels from the woman and continuing to wipe the vomit from her clothes herself.

"I'll be at the desk if you need anything." She smiled making her exit. Raven sighed, with everything else going on having some sick man vomit on her was just icing on the cake. Fate must have been laughing at her. Things could not possibly get worse. She tossed the messy wad of paper towels in the trash and looked at her uniform…the smell alone made her want to puke but, the wet stain and spots of a brown creamy liquid still attached to her uniform actually made her throw up in her mouth a little. She frowned and washed her hands twice before exiting the bathroom, mumbling her new mantra. "Things could not possibly get worse."

Cyborg was waiting by the door. He gave her a sheepish grin.

"One word." She warned. He raised his hands in defense as his smile widened.

She followed him silently out to of the ER to the rental car, getting in the passenger's side and strapping herself in the seatbelt while he checked the car for tampering. They were not going to have a repeat of the T-Car. When he was satisfied he got in and started the car.

"Do you think they found him yet?" He couldn't have gotten too far right? And they were fast, probably faster than usual considering the circumstances. After what Norf had done to Beast Boy, the T-car, Robin…and the fact that he had, had the nerve to steal Starfire's communicator…bugging the tower…stalking her…they would catch him. She had no doubts. She only worried that he'd be prepared for them when they found him…

"I doubt it, he had a pretty good head start." Cyborg frowned pulling out of the parking lot and rolling down all of the windows, helping the smell from her uniform fade a little.

"…" she didn't reply. There was nothing to say...except that she should be the one confronting him…she was the one he wanted…she was reason he had hurt all of her friends…she was the one who should have the honor of wringing his neck…and Cyborg didn't want to hear that.

"I know you're mad." He said as he sped down the road towards the tower. "But we just don't want you to get hurt." Her anger subsided a bit, she knew it was true.

"…thanks." She mumbled.

"What was that?" he grinned.

"I am not repeating myself."

She spent the remainder of the trip continuing to worry about her friends going up against Norf without her…what if he was waiting for them? He had gotten into the tower, he already knew Robin's fighting style…she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. This was not going to end well.

When they arrived at the tower Cyborg parked the car and they silently made their way up to the main floor.

"I'm going to check the tower security." Cyborg informed her.

"I need a shower." Raven frowned, looking down at the stain on her chest, consciously breathing from her mouth to avoid the smell.

"When you're done come to my room. I'll recharge while we wait for Robin."

"Okay." She agreed, heading to her room first and grabbing a clean uniform. Then she walked briskly to the bathroom, making sure to lock the door behind her. She turned on the shower first to let the water heat up while she stripped and threw her uniform in the trash. She knew she'd never wear it again. A small smile graced her lips as the heat of the water on her skin temporarily washed away her stress and anger. She poured half a bottle of sweet pea scented body wash on her shower puff and scrubbed her skin until it was red. Then she moved onto her next target: her hair, washing it twice. Finally, after what felt like the longest shower she'd taken since their last battle with Plasmas, she got out drying herself off. She quickly put her fresh uniform on, knowing Cyborg was waiting for her. She wouldn't have been surprised if he was waiting outside the door. She ran a comb through her wet hair a couple of times and opened the door. Cyborg wasn't in the hallway. He was probably in his room. Perhaps he couldn't wait to recharge, she should have asked him how long he had…she should have taken a quicker shower. She frowned…with everything going on how could she let herself get so distracted? It was only vomit…she'd been covered in worse things…damn it. She walked down the hall to his room. Normally the TV or Robin's stereo was so loud you could hear it in at least half, if not every room of the tower but today there was only silence. Something she once cherished was now strange and uncomforting. Didn't the lights seem dimmer? Had the hall always been this long? She quickened her pace, stopping when she reached his door. Strangely enough it was closed. He was expecting her, wouldn't he have left it open? She knocked. No one answered.

"Cyborg?" she called. Silence was her reply. "Cyborg?" She opened his door and found the room empty. Where was he? Hadn't he said he'd meet her there? Her heartbeat quickened. She pulled out her communicator and frowned…she shouldn't use it. It wasn't safe, if Norf had Starfire's they weren't safe…nothing Norf touched was safe. If there was an emergency she would use it but…Cyborg may have just gotten sidetracked. Until she had looked everywhere he wasn't missing right? Maybe he had gone to her room, maybe she'd taken too long and he was waiting for her there. That had to be it. She kept it clutched into her hand, hoping that she wouldn't need it. Hoping that Robin would call and say that it was over. Her pace quickened down the hall and she was soon at her own door. She opened it. As usual it was dark. She frowned…she really needed to get a few more lights installed. She reached on the wall for a light switch and found the room dimly illuminated and empty. Where was Cyborg?

A white cloth went over her mouth and nose while the assailants other arm held her in place. She screamed but the cloth muffled it. She struggled, the overpowering scent of chloroform quickly taking her. She used her foot to get behind the attackers and swept his leg out, causing him to stumble, unbalanced for a moment but, she only needed a moment. She used her elbow to hit him in the stomach and he released his hold. Her head was spinning but she ran.

"Cyborg!" she screamed, sprinting towards the main room. Where was he? She raised her communicator and started to call Robin but a large hand smacked it to the floor, grabbing her by the arm.

In the light she could see it was a man, a foot or so taller than herself. He wore an all black spandex suit with a full mask covering all of his features and a black utility belt with various pockets to complete the look.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos!" she muttered raising the coffee table to hit the figure. They let go and she began to run again towards the hall. The man jumped on her, knocking her to the ground so they slid on the carpet for a moment. He put the cloth to her face again. She held her breath and struggled. She had about thirty seconds before she was going to have to take a breath and she could already feel herself going under…new plan. She stopped struggling, closed her eyes and relaxed her muscles as best she could under the circumstances. One…two…three…the attacker got up, assuming they had won.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos." A chair wrapped in her dark energy charged at him. The figure cursed, dropping his cloth and she got up and hurried across the room, sprinting towards the hall again. Muttering her mantra once more she picked up the couch and threw it in the attacker's direction and he made a narrow escape to the left and chased after her. Suddenly she turned to face him. She wasn't going to run anymore. Clearly, running was not working. He continued running straight for her and she ripped a door straight from the wall and sent it straight at him. Taking her by surprise he jumped on top of the door and sped straight at her, leaping from the flying door into a kick which he aimed at her head, all in a matter of seconds. She stumbled backwards, stunned by the blow. He didn't waste time, he raised his leg and kicked her again, hitting the other side of her head at full force. "Things could not possibly get worse…" she mumbled as everything faded to darkness.


	17. Missing

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Teen Titans.

**Chapter Seventeen – Missing**

Robin glanced at his communicator as he sped down the alley way, they were only a few miles away from where Norf should be according to the communicators GPS signal. He was going down Main Street and fast. Robin sped up a bit causing Starfire to hold onto him tighter. Their usual cheerful Tameranian was too angry to summon the joy to fly. He knew how she felt. The idea that Norf had even come close to her or Beast Boy...they were going to get him.

It took twenty minutes and several broken traffic violations to catch up for Norf. Based on his communicator they were right behind him. That meant he was in a black mustang. He memorized the seemingly ordinary license plate number and stalked the car. When the lane next to it opened up he switched lanes and drove up beside it. The windows were tinted, he couldn't see inside. Starfire knocked on the window hard, breaking it and shocking the driver.

"What the hell are you doing!" he yelled. He was a young guy, maybe twenty-four. He had dark hair, pale skin and sapphire eyes. He was handsome, maybe a little dark, but he looked pretty normal, not like the type of guy they would expect to be stalking Raven. But that made him more suspicious in Robin's eyes.

"Pull over." Robin yelled. The man complied. Turning a corner and finding parking on the street. He got out of his car.

"Look what you did to my car!" he yelled, clearly angry.

"Don't move." Robin ordered as he and Starfire jumped off his bike as soon as it was parked.

"What the hell is going on." The man said.

"Who are you?" Robin said.

"Tell me how you're paying for my window." The man said clenching his fists.

"You will pay for the hurting of our friends." Starfire said, her eyes glowing.

"What are you talking about?" The man said, though he looked ready for a fight. "Since when do super heroes go around attacking civilians?"

"Starfire wait." Robin frowned. "How tall was the nurse who took your communicator? Does this guy look like her at all?" Starfire looked at Terry and frowned, her anger subsiding for the moment.

"No friend Robin, he does not. He was a bit shorter and not quite so the buff." Starfire frowned.

"Were you just at the hospital?" Robin asked the man.

"Why?" he asked.

"We're in a hurry, just answer the question." Robin crossed his arms.

"Yeah, I was visiting someone." He said.

"Did you see anyone strange, talk to any of the staff?" Robin asked.

"No." he said, clearly annoyed.

"Can you check your car, see if anything's been tampered with?" Robin asked. The man sighed but complied. He went into his car and looked around a bit. While he did this Robin used his communicator to run the plate numbers through the police database. The mans name was Terry McGinnis. He had a few speeding tickets, but nothing else.

"huh." He said. "What's this doing here?" he came out and showed Robin what they had been looking for, Starfire's communicator.

"Damn it." Robin said. "Send your bill to the tower. We'll cover the cost of your window. I'm sorry. Starfire, we have to go now." They didn't waste any time. They sped off to the tower. Robin could have kicked himself. He should have known. This was just a decoy, Raven was in trouble.

When the pair arrived at the tower they nearly broke down the door in impatience, but once inside they froze in their tracks. The living room was destroyed. Broken furniture and windows. They walked around a bit, hoping that it wasn't too late, that she was still here. But they knew…it was too late.

"Cyborg!" Starfire yelled from another room in the tower. Robin ran after her. He was in the hall, half his body in a closet, the other half on the floor. He didn't look like he was in great shape, but he was conscious.

"What happened?" Robin asked.

"Someone came at me from behind." He said slowly, taking a moment to breathe.

"What happened when you left the hospital?" Robin asked, trying to be patient with his friend, but knowing every second counted.

"Right after you left some old guy ran into her and threw up all over her so once we got back she went to change and shower, while I checked the security…I thought the tower was safe…she was supposed to meet me in my room so I could recharge while we waited for you…someone hit me in the head from behind…I woke up in here." Cyborg frowned. "Where is she?"

"…" Robin didn't say anything for a moment. Cyborg got the message, his fears confirmed. "We'll search the tower for clues, then check on Beast Boy…he probably won't hurt her yet."

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Terry McGinnis(Batman Beyond).


	18. Delivery

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Teen Titans.

**Chapter Eighteen – Delivery**

_She was here! His lovely girl was here. He thought he might die from happiness. He glanced at her lifeless form across the room. She was still unconscious. He'd had the thief lay her on the bed, hoping to make her more comfortable. He hadn't been able to approach her himself just yet, he was too overwhelmed with joy. But he was ready now. He took a deep breath and walked up to his beautiful prize. Then he sat on the side of the bed and ran a hand through her soft silky hair, still in slight disbelief that his beautiful enchantress was really there._

_In one moment all his happiness and joy was ruined, replaced by anger and rage. He removed his fingers from her hair and glared at the blood on them. He glanced at her peaceful slumbering face and his frowned deepened. Just above the duck tape that covered her mouth, on her left cheek a small bruise was beginning to form. How dare he…how dare he hurt his beautiful princess of the night! The thief was going to pay for this…it was unacceptable…unforgivable…if only he'd had another choice. If only the Titans hadn't tried to stand in the way of their love…he could have taken her himself. She wouldn't have afraid of him like she was of the thief. She would have seen him and known that he was the one she should be with. She'd have taken his hand and they'd have left the tower together forever. _

_There was a knock on the door. It was probably the thief again, returning after making sure he'd covered his tracks and the Titans wouldn't find them. He was expecting his payment now, but he was going to be disappointed. He'd been told not to hurt her. He needed to be punished. Norf got up. With one last look of longing to his sleeping beauty he walked to the door, opened it and exited the room._

The three remaining Titans sat on the floor of the living room to think. They had searched the tower high and low, but there was no sign of Raven anywhere. They'd found her communicator in the hallway leaving them without a way to track her. The scene in the living room had them all worried. Clearly she had put up a good fight…who was Norf and how had he managed to take one of their most powerful members? Raven wasn't invincible, but she was strong, even on her own. How had he done it? And how would he keep her? There was no way she would stay voluntarily…if he thought that she loved him, what would he do if she tried to escape? Or rejected him? Robin glanced to his right. On the carpet near the kitchen was a patch of blood that had them all worried. They had thought he wouldn't hurt her, but maybe they had been wrong. Maybe when she wouldn't agree to go with him he got angry…They had to find her.

"He must have a hideout somewhere around here. We just have to find a way to track them. Any ideas?" Robin asked, furrowing his brows and trying to come up with something, anything that might help them find Norf.

"I don't know man, her communicator is here." Cyborg frowned. He was holding it in his hands and looking at it solemnly.

"Could not friend Beast Boy use his nose?" Starfire asked.

"If we could narrow down the search area." Robin nodded. It was a good idea. "But we don't know enough about him. I can't think of anything he mentioned in the letters. If he had just kept your communicator or if she hadn't dropped hers."

They were silent for a few minutes, each trying to come up with some sort of solution.

"What about the bugs?" Cyborg asked, suddenly glancing up.

"What about them?" Robin frowned, raising a brow.

"Think he still has any at his hideout? Maybe he was careless and he dropped a few." Cyborg suggested.

"They are small, they would not be noticed." Starfire nodded, her spirits rising.

"Even if he did, what good does it do us?" Robin asked. "We don't have the remote."

"If we can find a way to access his or make a remote we could move it around his place and find some clues, maybe get outside and get an address." Cyborg suggested.

"Can you do that?" Robin asked with hope.

"I can try." Cyborg said getting up. "It might take a while, but since we don't have any other leads I might as well try. We have to do something. I'm going to go work on that." Cyborg said getting up.

"We'll follow you halfway; I think we should go check on Beast Boy." Robin said.

"Good idea, let me know how he's doing." Cyborg agreed. The group walked out. Starfire, still unable to summon the joy to fly got on the back of Robin's bike after Robin made sure to check that it hadn't been tampered with. Cyborg checked the rental car too, just to be safe. Neither vehicle had been touched nor so the group sped off.

Robin was frustrated the entire drive, his thoughts were racing a mile a minute. He couldn't stop thinking about how it was possible for someone to get into the tower with the new security system. Had they missed some bugs? Had he figured the new system out? Robin figured when they were in public Norf could know where they were, tracking that wouldn't be too difficult with all the security cameras around jump city. If Norf was as technologically savvy as he seemed or hired out more people like Gizmo, it'd be a breeze. But the tower had been clean…and how had he known? How had Norf known that he would send Raven back to the tower? It bothered him that Norf had anticipated it. He always seemed to be one step ahead of them.

When they arrived at the hospital Robin parked as close to the entrance as he could. The pair got off the bike and walked together at a quick pace, going immediately to the receptionist.

"No changes so far." She said knowingly. Beast Boy was a Titan, the hospital would be keeping special tabs on him. They probably hadn't needed to even stop by, someone would have contacted them with the slightest change. Robin sighed. One Titan down and one missing…how could he let this happen to his team?

"Thanks." He said. He would have liked to go and actually see Beast Boy, but he couldn't tell him that they had lost her. Not now, not when they weren't even sure Beast Boy was safe yet. The stress, anger and worry might worsen the green boy's condition. He wasn't out of the woods just yet; it wasn't a risk any of them wanted to take. They'd already lost one Titan that day, Robin wasn't going permanently lose another.

"We cannot tell friend Beast Boy." Starfire said, echoing his thoughts. Robin nodded.

"Not yet…let's give him some more time to recover. I don't want him to worry." Robin agreed. Starfire frowned, an expression she had once used seldom was becoming a sight too often seen on her usually cheerful face.

"Perhaps we should find a way of narrowing it down so that when friend Beast Boy is well he can use his nose?" Starfire suggested.

"Yeah, the question is how." Robin frowned.

"Are you certain that he did not mention anything useful in the letters?" she asked him as they started to walk towards the door. Robin thought about it, but he still couldn't come up with anything. Norf had known where Raven was because of the bugs, so it wasn't likely that he lived near the mall and just happened to see her, or the theater. Would he have moved near the tower to be closer to her? Robin clenched his fist. This was all guesswork, and not particularly good guesswork.

"Did he not say that he saw her for the first time at the park?" Starfire asked curiously, breaking his thoughts.

"You're right." Robin said, mentally smacking himself. How had he missed that? It was so obvious!

"So perhaps we can start looking there?" she asked. Robin nodded and the pair nearly sprinted out the door. Robin remembered the day Raven had told them he'd described in his letter and he remembered the park. They could start in that area. Maybe ask a few people if they'd seen anyone strange walking around. If that was the first place he'd seen her he probably had returned a few times. It was special, the beginning of all of this.

* * *

Red X leaned on the kitchen counter of his current employer. He glanced around the room and smirked. This guy had some serious issues. Clearly he'd decorated to impress a certain dark sorceress he knew. Red stone counter tops, black cabinets with silver handles and knobs. The shabby little place had no windows, but if it did he didn't doubt there would have been black velvet curtains. Even the tile he stood on was black. The living room, which was the next room over, was furnished in a similar style with dark wood antique gothic style furniture. He tried to stifle his snickers at the thought of the titan waking up here, lest his employer see. Better to make his fun after he received his money. He almost felt bad for her, being harassed by this creep, but she was a Titan and so he couldn't feel too bad. They'd gotten in his way enough times for him to want a little payback. And this was certainly payback.

Normally he didn't do jobs for others. He worked solely for himself, but the chance to piss off the Titans and make a good amount of money? Whoever this punk was, he had offered a serious amount of moola for the job. An offer Red X couldn't pass up.

Finally his employer stepped into the room again. Norf was pale, almost as pale as Raven. His hair was dark his eyes to match. He didn't look as happy as he had when X had first come to drop off the girl. Maybe he had changed his mind or realized the trouble it would bring. She was unconscious now, but X knew she wasn't going to be so happy to see the little creep when she woke up. And the Titans. He had no doubt they would be looking for her. She was trouble. Regardless, he was going to get paid.

"Did you transfer it?" X asked, pulling out his phone to see if he'd received his money. He preferred it to be wired to him rather than accept cash. Digital currency couldn't be marked like bills and it was hard to fake. It was secure. Not to mention easier to carry.

"You broke the rules." Norf frowned, glaring at X.

"I'm only going to ask one more time, did you transfer my money?" X asked crossing his arms. No one crossed him. Norf didn't answer, he simply walked over to the counter stopping a few feet away from X. He opened a drawer and pulled out a knife. X could have laughed. This punk thought he was going to pull a knife on him? He was asking for trouble.

"You will not be receiving payment. You broke the rules, I told you not to hurt her." Norf said. In record speed, he grabbed X by the wrist. "And I have to punish you." He said as X tried to take back his arm in vain, Norf was stronger than he looked. He raised the knife and cut it as quickly as he grabbed it, his intentions clear. He was going to cut Red X's hand off.

"Damn you." X growled kicking Norf in the stomach, forcing him away. He cradled his wrist and Norf stumbled back and fell, but he got up again and started after X who was trying to stop the bleeding on his wrist. "I'll get you back for this!" X threatened as he teleported away. He'd have liked to settle the score then and there, but he knew it was more important to stop the bleeding. The cut was very deep, he could probably see the bone once he took off his suit. He'd get the creep back…oh he was going to get him back.

* * *

**Authors note: **I'm trying not to do these, but I did want to remind everyone that the stalker does appear in Teen Titans. So he is _not_ an OC, you will all recognize him when his identity is revealed. If you suspect who it is that's great, you'll find out for sure soon, but please don't put it in your review. If you have to tell someone that you know who it is(because who doesn't get excited by solving the mystery/crime first in a story?) PM me, but please don't post it in your review. I just don't want to ruin it for anyone, if you haven't figured it out yet it's okay, you just get to be surprised (which is super fun right?). Thank-you!


	19. House Hunters

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Teen Titans.

**Chapter Nineteen – House Hunters**

"Fuck." Red X said before biting his lip. He'd just slid the needle through the skin on his wrist one last time, finishing his stitches. The little freak had cut him pretty deep. He tied the thread off and finished his work, wiping away the drying blood and wrapping his wrist with bandages. He was pissed. The freak was going to pay for this. No one crossed X, no one. He had done a damn good job stealing Raven for the little freak. It wasn't easy getting into the tower or kidnapping a titan. Not to mention he'd had to make a new suit because Norf didn't want her to know that he'd hired one of her enemies to kidnap her. Pay a villain? Oh no! She might not love him anymore! He had deluded himself into believing that Raven loved him, but even in his sick and twisted little world she was a hero and would have frowned upon working with a villain. X could have laughed at his insane logic. Despite the pain in his wrist a small smile crept to his lips. He knew exactly how he would get his revenge.

* * *

Robin and Starfire had just begun their third lap around the park. They'd questioned everyone in the vicinity, but it hadn't gotten them anything. No one had seen anything strange. One person had seen a large man in this thirties or forties walking around in only a pair of boxers. Another had seen some girls walking around the park that morning dressed like some characters from a cartoon show. Neither of those profiles really fit what they were looking for though. A couple of people had also told them they'd seen some goth kids hanging around, but not consistently and they were in a group. Norf worked alone. That was something Robin was sure of. He wanted Raven to himself, he didn't want to share. Hire someone like Gizmo? Sure. But actually share Raven? Robin doubted that would happen. True, the crimes he'd committed so far would have been easier to do in a group. It was even possible that someone as insane as Norf seemed to be could have a few friends, but there was only one dark figure in all the surveillance videos he'd caught Norf in the last nine months. He hadn't noticed any other consistencies. He hadn't mentioned being at the park with any friends in the letter either. He'd come here alone.

It was dark and the park was beginning to empty. Robin checked his communicator for the time. It was almost eight-thirty. They'd been at it for more than an hour.

"We have not questioned that man yet." Starfire said pointing to an older man sitting on a bench. He had headphones in his ears, enjoying some music or maybe an audio book. Starfire was right; he must have shown up not too long ago. The pair walked over and waited while the man paused his MP3 player and took out his headphones.

"Can I help you with something?" The man asked, not too annoyed. Who could be annoyed at the Teen Titans? The heroes who saved the city on a daily basis.

"Do you come to this park often?" Robin asked.

"Yes." The man said. "Why?"

"Have you noticed anyone strange? Someone that's been here more than once maybe?" Robin asked.

"Hmm…strange how?" The man asked.

"Anything." Robin said. Though he had his suspicions, they really didn't know what Norf looked like.

"Well…I'm not sure this counts, but a few weeks ago I was here in the afternoon and there was this kid sitting on top of the jungle gym. He was way too old; I'd say at least eighteen probably. He looked like a punk, wearing all black and he even had some make-up on. He sat up there the whole time I was here, for about an hour." The man said. "Saw the kid again last week, this time on the swings in the evening, after sunset. He didn't stay that long though, just ten minutes after I got here. I like the fresh air while I listen to my stories." Starfire and Robin looked at each other. Finally! It had to be Norf. It just had to be.

"Do you know which way he left?" Robin asked. The man shook his head.

"I wasn't really paying that much attention, it was a week ago." The man shrugged. "I only remember him because he kind of creeped my out, I wanted to make sure he wasn't bothering any of the kids."

"Thanks for your help." Robin said. They walked towards one of the neighborhoods around the park. It was possible that he lived around here. He'd come to the park before he saw Raven and he had returned to it at least twice.

"Let's check in with Cyborg and then go from there." Robin said. Starfire nodded in agreement as Robin pulled out his communicator. He called Cyborg who answered right away.

"Any luck?" Cyborg asked.

"A little, we had one person give us a description of a goth guy who's been to this park at least twice. That's all we've got so far, but I think it's him. This is where it all started, he would have returned. We're going to check the neighborhood, see if any of the houses look like they might be an obvious fit." Robin informed him. "What about you? Any progress?"

"Not yet. Like I said before, this is going to take a while. Let me know how the house hunt goes." Cyborg said. Robin put his communicator away and the pair sprinted off towards the neighborhoods.

_One hour later_

Robin and Starfire sighed. They were exhausted. After walking through all the neighborhoods that surrounded the park not one house looked suspicious. Robin had been hoping that Norf, in an attempt to impress the object of his affection would have done something to the outside of the house to give it away. Bat shaped lights, tombstone yard decorations, even just black or purple paint. His hopes were crushed by disappointed though, majority of the houses looked relatively normal. Sure, there were a few odd houses. One painted entirely pink, with a dark pink roof, flamingo yard decorations and a pink picket fence with a heart shaped gate. Starfire had loved that house. Then there was the house of many colors, with each outside wall being painted a different pastel color and a rainbow striped roof. Robin doubted that Raven would have appreciated that sort of décor, and Norf had clearly paid attention to what Raven did and did not like, so it was unlikely he'd have taken here there. After all that walking they were back to square one.

"Let's go check on Beast Boy again." Robin sighed. Maybe he was well enough that they could take him to the neighborhood, have him see if he could find a trail or something. Chances were any trail they might have had was gone, but it was still worth a try. They weren't going to give up. The pair hopped on Robin's R-Cycle and sped off to the hospital.

When they arrived they went up to the receptionist again. The women they had seen before was gone, replaced by an older man with black, graying hair.

"How's Beast Boy?" Robin asked, but before he could answer someone called the pair from behind.

"Titans?" a woman's voice called. Robin and Starfire turned around. Dr. Grey was standing there with a clipboard in hand.

"How is friend Beast Boy?" Starfire asked as they walked up to her.

"A little better." Dr. Grey smiled. "So far no major organ damage, he should be out of the woods in eight to eighteen hours. He seems to be doing fine, better than expected. Do you want to see him?"

"Not right now." Robin frowned.

"Are you sure? I'm sure he'd love to see you." Dr. Grey said.

"…We cannot." Starfire said, clearly unhappy. She would have liked to go see him and make sure he was really doing okay, but they still couldn't tell him about Raven.

"Can you make sure he has his communicator though?" Robin asked. It was better that he had it in case there was trouble. The titans had a lot of enemies, if anyone wanted to finish one of them off, now would be the time. Better Beast Boy had it in case he needed backup.

"Will do. Is something wrong?" Dr. Grey asked.

"Nothing that we can't handle." Robin said. "But we've got some work to do. Thank-you for taking care of Beast Boy."

"No problem." Dr. Grey replied.

"Hey, Robin!" The receptionist yelled to get his attention. Robin looked over and the man pointed to the phone. "Phone call." Robin looked at Starfire and raised a brow. They hurried over and he answered it.

"Hello?" Robin asked.

"Hello Robin." said a familiar voice.

* * *

_Norf set down his tray of supplies on the nightstand next to the bed before taking his former seat next to his princess of darkness again. He took the washcloth and dipped a small part of it in water before gently wiping it at the side of her head. It wasn't a lot of blood and it had stopped bleeding, but his anger still swelled with every bit of blood he wiped away. He hadn't been able to finish his punishment, but he would never forget…next time he saw the thief he was going to finish it and maybe even kill him._

_When he was done wiping away the blood he took a piece of ice that was already melting from the tray and placed it on her bruised cheek. There. Now it wouldn't hurt so much when she woke up. He held it there until it was almost completely melted. Then he gathered his supplies and left the room again, he had to begin preparing for their trip._


	20. Deal with the Devil

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Teen Titans.

**Chapter Twenty – Deal with the Devil**

"_Hey, Robin!" The receptionist yelled to get his attention. Robin looked over and the man pointed to the phone. "Phone call." Robin looked at Starfire and raised a brow. They hurried over and he answered it._

"_Hello?" Robin asked._

"_Hello Robin." said a familiar voice._

"Red X." Robin said through gritted teeth. The last thing the team needed was more trouble. What could the villain want with the Titans badly enough to track them down at the hospital and call them?

"I've got a deal you can't refuse." X said on the other line, Robin could tell he was smirking and it annoyed him.

"I don't make deals with villains." he growled.

"I could be mistaken, but aren't you missing something?" X laughed. Robin's grip the phone tightened. "A little birdy may have told me where you can find what, or should I say who you're looking for."

"What do you want?" Robin asked, defeated. He couldn't just hang up. Not if Red X might actually have a lead…They were stuck.

"Not on the phone. Meet me on the roof of the parking garage on 51st street and Jefferson at ten-thirty." X said. He hung up before Robin could agree, angering Robin more. He knew they were desperate. Robin glanced at his communicator, it was nine-thirty. They had about an hour. The place he was referring to was only a few blocks away from the park they had just been at. It wouldn't take them more than fifteen minutes to get there from the hospital.

"Thanks." Robin said to the receptionist who nodded. With that he started walking outside, he couldn't talk about the call inside. He didn't want anyone to hear. Starfire followed him, waiting eagerly for him to say something about the mysterious phone call. When they got to his bike he stopped. "It was Red X." he frowned. "Supposedly he knows where she is. We're going to have to meet him."

"I will fetch friend Cyborg." Starfire said.

"I'm ganna head over there a little early." Robin nodded. "Get there as fast as you can." With that Starfire flew into the sky, the hope of finding their dear friend and knowing Beast Boy would likely going to be okay restored her joy enough to allow her to fly. She flew off to the small make-shift lab where Cyborg was working, landing a foot from the door. She approached it and knocked.

"It is I, Starfire." She announced herself. The door unlocked and opened.

"Robin called." Cyborg said. He turned off the lights and exited the lab, locking the door behind him. "Why don't you ride with me in the car. Just to be safe. Better that we stick together right now."

"I agree." Starfire said. She would feel better if she were there to look after her friends. Cyborg checked his car over for the umpteenth time that day. It didn't take him that long now that he had gotten used to the new wheels and had, had so much practice. Starfire got in the front seat and Cyborg drove them to the building X had specified they meet at. When they arrived Cyborg drove to the top floor and found Robin's R-Cycle near the door to the stairs that would take them to the roof. He parked next to it and the pair got out of the car and went to the roof. Robin was there pacing back and forth, waiting impatiently. Cyborg checked the time, they still had thirty minutes.

"Do you really think he knows where she is?" Cyborg asked. Robin nodded.

"We didn't announce that she was missing and I thought about it…he might have been the one to take her…maybe it was a job." Robin frowned. "Who else could 'steal' a Titan?"

"Then why would he want to tell us?" Cyborg asked.

"We will have to wait and see." Starfire sighed.

"He must want something only we can give him." Robin frowned. "Otherwise you're right, why would he want to tell us?"

* * *

Raven slowly opened her eyes. Her lids felt heavy and she struggled to keep them open. To say that her head hurt was an understatement. She felt like she'd been hit by a truck or Cinderblock. After a moment of confusion she remembered what had happened and tensed. She tried to move, but found herself unable to. She could feel her hands above her, her wrists bound, but her body felt somewhat numb. She tried to move her mouth, but she couldn't even do that. Her heart raced, what was wrong with her? She moved her eyes around the room. She could tell she was lying on a bed. A glance to her side revealed black sheets covered in red rose petals. There was a nightstand on both sides of the bed with candles, a chandelier above her filled with lit candles. She could see an electric powered light on the far wall, it was turned off. There was a bookshelf across the bed next to a wooden desk and chair. On her right, near the desk was a door. The room had no windows. This was bad…She closed her eyes and concentrated; trying to use her powers without her mantra but failed. She was too afraid, her emotions were getting too out of control…she had to calm down.

The door opened. Her heart pounded in her chest like a hammer. Standing in the doorway and smiling at her was a pale boy with jet black hair. His eyes were dark and smiling at the prize that lay on his bed. It took a moment, but she did recognize him, Robin had been right. She did know him. She'd met him at a club in an abandoned warehouse when Starfire's sister had come to visit. But that had been ages ago. How long had he been watching her? Her stomach churned.

"You're awake." He smiled. She wished she could move her mouth to say something, to tell him that he was delusional, that he needed some serious help, but she couldn't. He walked over to the bed and she couldn't remember ever being that afraid of a human before. "Sorry about the slight paralysis. The person I hired to help get you here wouldn't transport you here without doing it. He was afraid you'd wake up before he arrived. It'll wear off soon. Don't worry, there shouldn't be any side effects." He sat down on the side of the bed. She could feel a cold sweat starting to form on her face. She hadn't know that her heart could beat any faster or harder than it already had been. He reached out a hand and pushed back a strand of her hair, tucking it safely behind her ear. "_Azarath, Metrion Zinthos…Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…_"she muttered to herself in a vain attempt to keep calm.

"I'm so happy this day has finally come. I told you it wouldn't be long. Now no one can keep us apart." He smiled, stroking her hair. If she could have move she would have punched him. She repeated her mantra in her head over and over again wishing she could use her powers to hurt him…how dare he touch her…but even if she could speak…use them, it would have been dangerous. She would have been out of control. "It won't be long. We'll stay here until you get back on your feet and then I have plans for us. We're going to Gotham for a little while, then maybe Paris or Rome. Somewhere no one will follow us." He smiled, touching her cheek. "I wish you could speak. I wish we could leave right now." He got up for a moment and dug around in the desk. He came back with a knife and her heart stopped. Was this it? He was going to kill her? He leaned over her and cut the ropes on her wrists.

"Sorry about those, again, the one I asked to bring you here insisted." He sighed. He put the knife on the nightstand and sat on the bed and leaned over her again. "It won't be long, just give it another six to eight hours and you should at least be able to speak. But don't worry. I'll take care of you." He reached out his hand again and she mentaly flinched, she would have rather played a game of stink ball with Beast Boy and Cyborg than let him touch her.

"This might hurt. I'm sorry." he said before ripping the duck tape off of her mouth. It did hurt, but she had no way to express it. She couldn't move and even without the gag she couldn't speak, her lips wouldn't move. He tossed the tape on the nightstand next to the knife before putting a hand on her shoulder and leaning forward, pressing his lips to hers. She thought she might explode with rage at that point. Why weren't her powers working? Suddenly she could care less about control…she was going to murder him.

He moved to straddle her limp body, continuing to kiss her unresponsive lips. His breath, reeking of cigarettes and coffee assaulted her nose. He lifted his lips and looked her in the eyes, smiling down at her, though she glared back or tried to despite not being able to move her face, with the exception of her eyelids. He seemed immune to her rage and discomfort.

He lowered his lips down to her again, this time kissing her neck. She was horrified. She squeezed her eyes shut as he continued to violate her, moving a hand to the top of her right breast. "_This is not happening!_" She tried again for the umpteenth time to use her powers, never in her life had she felt so helpless. How far was he going to go? Where were the Titans?...Six to eight hours before she could kill him…?

* * *

They waited thirty minutes before X showed up. He was right on time, but the Titan's patience was wearing out. Raven had been missing for several hours. He appeared in front of them like magic; part of the teleportation feature of the suit.

"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?" He grinned, finding a little delight in the idea of irritating the Titans. This was going to be fun.

"What do you know?" Robin asked getting straight to the point.

"I know where you can find your other bird." X said. Robin clenched his fists. He didn't want to be having this conversation. If he wasn't desperate…

"What's it going to cost us?" he asked.

"One case of Xenothium." X said matter-o-factly.

"No way." Robin declined, causing the other two Titans to tense. They were desperate, X knew that. But he also knew Robin had a strong sense of justice and morals. Robin wondered if Red X had seriously thought he'd go that far. He wanted to…he wanted to say that he would do almost anything to find her, but he couldn't do that…it was wrong. Assisting a thief with his power source? Any crimes that he committed after that night would be their fault…Robin's fault, because he couldn't keep up with Norf…because he had been predictable and stupid.

"I can see how much you care about your friend." The masked man smirked, managing to anger all the Titans. Cyborg grabbed Starfire's shoulder. She was a second away from starting a fight with the masked villain. X crossed his arms, but quickly regretted it. His wrist was killing him. He put his arms down immediately, an action Robin didn't miss.

"How do you know where she is?" Robin asked. He had to keep him talking.

"You already know that." X smirked.

"You're the one who broke into the tower and took her." Robin nodded, they'd figured that out already.

"Which is why I know where to find her." The villain smiled.

"Is she okay?" Cyborg asked concerned.

"For now." X said. "She won't be for long."

"How is he keeping her there?" Robin asked.

"How do you know he has to?" X smirked. "How do you know she hasn't fallen head over heels for the little freak?" he laughed. He was having too much fun . So much fun he was too late when he realized Cyborg had move across the roof and move to hit him. Cyborg had been the one to lose it this time. Red X blocked with his injured arm and groaned when Cyborg's fist made contact with it. He teleported back a few yards, but Cyborg didn't move, Robin had come up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. They needed to play nice, at least until they knew where Raven was.

Red X inspected his arm, mumbling some curses as he touched it.

"What happened to your arm?" Robin asked.

"None of your business." X growled, clearly in pain.

"How bad is it?" Robin asked.

"Again, it's none of your business." X said. "If you're not going through with the deal, I think I'll be going."

"Wait." Robin said quickly. "I've got another deal for you."

"I'm listening." X said curiously.

"I know someone who can fix your arm." Robin said.

"So do I." X said, not interested. He followed the Titans gaze to the blood dripping from his sleeve to the roof top floor.

"What did Norf pay you in exchange for taking her?" Robin asked.

"More money than you could ever afford." X smirked.

"Raven can fix your arm." Robin said. "And to sweetn the deal I'll give you one thousand dollars reward money for helping us find her and tell her to fix your arm."

"If she could do that, why is your friend in the hospital?" X asked suspicious.

"He was poisoned." Robin said. "It has to get out of his system on its own."

"Not going to be a very good thief with only one hand." Cyborg said.

"How can I trust you to hold up your end of the bargain?" he asked. He'd learned his lesson the last time. It'd been a while since he'd worked for someone else. He'd been too eager for his pay. He'd made a stupid mistake, blinded by too many zeroes in a number. He should have had the money delivered to his account before handing over the goods. But this wasn't the type of pay that could be transferred to him easily.

"I'll give you the money before you tell us." Robin said. "As for the rest, I always keep my word."

"What's more important, your suit or your hand?" Cyborg asked.

"The longer you wait, the worse it's going to get." Robin said, putting more pressure on the thief. He didn't know what had happened to it, he'd probably touched something that didn't belong to him. Whatever had happened, it did look pretty bad. Despite his efforts to put pressure on it, it was bleeding quite a bit and he hadn't moved his fingers at all, making Robin wonder if maybe there was nerve damage.

"You drive a hard bargain." X smiled. "I won't give you the exact location without the synovium."

"What will you give us?" Robin sighed, impatient. He should have known it wasn't going to be that easy.

"I'll give you a four mile radius of where she might be." X offered.

"I'm not giving you the Xenothium." Robin replied.

"Then I guess you can either take the four miles, or we're done here." X shrugged. He wasn't going to give in.

"Tell me where you want the money routed." Robin growled. He didn't have a choice at this point. Time was running out. "Cyborg, you go back to the tower and make sure he gets his money. We'll wait here."

"Don't bother." X said, glancing at his hand. "I've got things to do, people to see." X replied. "Do it by tomorrow at sunset, or you'll regret it."

"Like I said, I always keep my word." Robin replied.

"See the park over there. From Center street. all the way to Juniper, then Juniper to Rose, Rose to Bishop and Bishop back to center. There's your four miles. She'll be somewhere there." X said. "You can route the money to this account." He said before teleporting in front of Robin and handing him a small business card. "I'll be in touch." With that he disappeared. The Titans looked over the building edge at the location Red X had told them Raven could be found.

"Titans go!" Robin yelled.


	21. Lost and Found

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Teen Titans.

**Chapter Twenty One – Lost and Found**

Robin, Starfire and Cyborg sighed as they went down their seventh block that evening. It was midnight, they were exhausted. No one had seen much rest the last few days, but the last twenty-four hours had been awful. Robin wished he could tell them to go take a little down time at the Tower. That he would finish the search on his own, but he knew they wouldn't listen. They all wanted to find her and finish this, before things got out of control again. He didn't know how Norf was keeping her there, but if he hadn't realized it yet, he was eventually going to realize how she really felt about him… Robin didn't know what Norf was going to do when that happened. Was it even possible for him to get past his own delusions? Hadn't he been watching them? Hadn't he seen her "betray" him already countless times? She'd shown them the letter, been worried about her friends…maybe he couldn't process it. Robin hoped so. Raven wasn't great at showing how much she cared about others, but she had a pretty good handle on showing her dislike of something. Beast Boy probably had the biggest experience with that side of her. It would be better if Norf didn't get that impression.

He wished they could just knock on doors and ask people if they knew anyone who might fit the profile. But that wasn't a good idea. Norf could be anyone. He could live in any of the houses. For all they knew, he didn't live alone either. A seemingly normal roommate, parent or sibling could answer the door and tell them they didn't know anything. At that point Norf would be tipped off that the Titans were close to finding him. What would he do then? Would he panic? Get desperate? As they walked the streets and profiled the houses he hoped that Norf wasn't watching…that he was sleeping or something. They were trying to be quick, despite their fatigue, but maybe they weren't being quick enough.

"I think we can cross off that house." Cyborg said pointing to a bright, almost neon yellow house with sunflowers in a small flowerbed near the porch.

"I agree, it is not the house." Starfire said. Robin crossed it off his poorly drawn map of the area. It was drawn on the back of a flyer announcing a new type of beer, with a pen they'd gotten at the mini-mart on the corner. There were too many potential places for Norf to hide. There were ten apartment complexes and several businesses in the area that Red X had pointed out. Any one of them could have housed Norf's base of operations. It was too much to remember, too much to search the inside of. They had to narrow it down. He didn't think Norf would risk Raven's feelings by decorating the outside of the house in a way that would so obviously displease her. Robin was betting that wherever he was hiding, the outside would look normal or dark. It was a risk, but they were counting on it.

"Perhaps it is that one?" Starfire asked pointing to a single story home that was painted a light gray color with a white roof. The yard was kept up, not too much decorum, a couple of wind-chimes, but nothing that was too sunny, flowery or overall cheerful.

"Could be." Robin nodded marking it as a high possibility on his map. The group continued walking.

* * *

_October 12th_

Beast Boy's eyes fluttered open slowly. He must have fallen asleep. He noticed the respirator was gone and much of the other equipment that had surrounded his bed. He was breathing on his own, he was alive, a wave of relief swept over him. For a moment he had actually been scared. He took a deep breath if only to test his lungs. It hurt a little, but he was indeed still breathing.

His eyes glanced to a clock on the wall. It was just a moment after two in the morning. He wondered what the others were doing. Had they figured out anything yet? He needed to talk to them. He pressed the button for the nurse and one came running to the side of his bed. She breathed in a sigh of relief when she saw that he appeared to be fine.

"My…friends." Beast Boy managed to say quietly. His throat was very dry.

"They're not here." The nurse frowned. "They must have gone back to the tower. I'll go get your some water." Beast Boy was stunned. Not here? Raven told him she would stick around incase he had any complications! She wouldn't have just up and left, not without a good reason. Right? What about the others, wouldn't one of them have stayed? Had the doctor told them that he was out of the woods? Is that why they decided to leave? The nurse returned quickly with a glass of water in one hand and his communicator in the other.

"Here's some water for your throat. A doctor will be in here shortly to talk to you. The other nurse on duty told me that the Titans left, but Robin asked us to make sure you had this." The nurse explained handing him both. He took the water and gulped it down quickly.

"Did he say where?" Beast Boy asked. The nurse shook her head.

"I guess he got a phone call or something before he left though. It was kind of weird." The nurse said rubbing her chin. "After that he and Starfire sprinted out of here."

"What about Raven? She wasn't there? And Cyborg?" he asked. Now he was worried.

"No, I think she went back to the tower long before that with Cyborg." The Nurse said. "Or at least that's the gossip in the break room. Poor thing, while they were waiting in the lobby to get some news about you some old man threw up all over her…" Beast Boy had to crack up a little at that. He could see it now, some old man throwing up all over Raven. She had to have been pissed. Not only was she getting stalked, but an old man threw up on her? The nurse gave him a strange look as he got lost in a fit of giggles, only stopping because his lungs hurt.

"I'll go get the doctor." The nurse said walking out after giving him another concerned glance.

Beast Boy opened his communicator. He'd call Robin. He hoped that they had some good news. When Robin's face appeared on the screen he looked surprised.

"Beast Boy?" he asked.

"The one and only." Beast Boy smiled. "What's going on?"

"Um…shouldn't you be resting?" Robin asked as Starfire and Cyborg squeezed into the frame.

"Yeah, you okay man?" Cyborg asked.

"You are unharmed?" Starfire asked.

"I'm fine, but where are you guys? I thought Raven was going to stay and make sure I didn't have heart failure or something?" Beast Boy asked. He distinctly remembered her saying she'd stay.

"…" there was silence on the other end of the line.

"Guys." Beast Boy said. They still didn't say anything. "Guys!"

"…We lost her." Robin finally frowned.

"What?" Beast Boy said in disbelief.

"He stole Starfire's communicator. She and I went after him while Cyborg and Raven went back to the tower. Norf hired Red X to break into the tower. He knocked Cyborg out and then kidnapped Raven…" Robin sighed. "But a few hours ago Red X contacted us…he got hurt somehow and he made a deal with us to help us find her by giving us a four mile radius of where Norf's keeping her in exchange for having her heal him and a thousand dollars."

"So you didn't find her yet?" Beast Boy asked seething with rage. Not only had Norf done this to him, but he had gone after Cyborg again and actually taken Raven?

"…No." The three frowned.

"I'll be there in a second." Beast Boy said.

"Beast Boy no!" Robin yelled, but it was too late. He hung up on them and went to track their location. The nurse came in with the doctor, but he was already out of bed, ripping his IV out.

"Where are my clothes?" Beast Boy asked, his anger obvious and slightly frightening the hospital staff.

"You shouldn't be doing that. You're not quote well yet." The doctor cautioned. He was a short bald man in a white lab coat.

"I'm only going to ask you one more time." Beast Boy frowned. He didn't really_ need_ clothes. He'd just have to stay transformed until he could get back to the tower.

"…I'll get them." The nurse said running off. The doctor entered the room and tried to talk him out of leaving, but Beast Boy couldn't be stopped. When the nurse returned he put on his clothes, opened a window and turned into a hawk, rushing towards the location his friends were on.

When he arrived his friends were not happy to see him. They all yelled at him at the same time making everything jumbled together.

"Enough!" Beast Boy said. "I'll track her."

"Don't you need to smell something of hers?" Cyborg asked.

"I hang out with you guys every day, we live together. I remember how you smell." Beast Boy replied almost proudly. The truth was he'd been preparing for the day they might need his nose since the day Cyborg went missing after he was supposed to go home and recharge. He knew it was one of his assets. It had been scary to lose Cyborg for even a short period of time.

Beast Boy turned into a dog and the search began. They retraced their steps with Beast Boy always sprinting a few yards ahead and after another hour, a quarter after three a.m. they found it. Beast Boy stopped at the foot of the driveway of a house they had passed on their first sweep. It was a single story home. It looked completely normal, a slightly over grown yard complete with a little garden gnome. The exterior was a neutral dark gray with a lighter gray trim. There was nothing special about it, but something about it had struck him as off. He'd made a special check next to it on his map the first time they'd seen it, but he still couldn't figure it out. He glanced at it again and then the house next-door before finally making the connection. Kicking himself and his sleep deprivation. The house didn't have any windows. Not one. Why hadn't they noticed it before? It was obvious. Robin didn't even have to ask Beast Boy if he was sure. He just wished he'd been paying more attention early.

Beast Boy transformed back into his human form and the three titans glanced at their leader.

"What now?" Cyborg asked as Robin walked down the street and the team followed. He didn't want to be standing right outside the door if Norf had any kind of security devices.

"We need a plan…we can't just barge in." Robin said.

"We should see what's going on inside first." Cyborg agreed.

"I'll sneak in."Beast Boy suggested.

"…" Robin paused a moment. He really didn't want any of them going in alone. Norf had been dangerous in their tower and in public. He was probably more dangerous in his own home. But there wasn't really another solution. "You go in, check what's going on, where he is, where she is and you come right back out. Do not confront him."

"Roger." Beast Boy agreed.


End file.
